Meet Reliance's highest-paid employee who earns more than Mukesh Ambani

Mukesh Ambani's annual salary from RIL is Rs 15 crore

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance is India’s largest private sector employer with more than 2,30,000 employees working in different businesses. The multinational conglomerate, founded by Dhirubhai Ambani in 1966, grew to become one of the country's largest companies. It operates across a wide range of industries, including retail, telecommunications, petrochemicals, refining and oil and gas exploration.

Highest-paid employee of RIL

The highest-paid person at RIL is Nikhil Meswani, a chemical engineer and the nephew of Mukesh Ambani. Nikhil's elder brother, Hital, is also an executive director at RIL. They are sons of Rasiklal Meswani, one of the Founder Directors of the Company and the son of Dhirubhai Ambani's elder sister Trilochna. Dhirubhai Ambani was the second child of Hirachand Gordhanbhai Ambani and Jamunaben.

Nikhil Meswani joined Reliance in 1986 as a project officer, before assuming the role of a full-time executive director on the company's board in 1988.

According to DNA, the remuneration of Nikhil Meswani was Rs 24 crore for 2021-22. In comparison, Mukesh Ambani has capped his salary at Rs 15 crore since 2008-09. In 2020-21 and 2021-22, Mukesh Ambani refused to draw any salary in light of the Covid19 pandemic.

According to Economic Times, the Meswani brothers took home a salary of Rs 11 crore each in 2010-11, the most after Mukesh Ambani. However, over the years, their salaries grew.

From 1997 to 2005, Nikhil Meswani managed the company's refinery operations, and currently, he plays a significant role in overseeing the petrochemicals sector, while also handling Company Affairs and Group Taxation. He also manages the IPL franchise Mumbai Indians and other sports initiatives of the company.

Nikhil Meswani was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2005. He is also a member of the Board of Trade, Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, and a member of the Global Advisory Council of Harvard University, USA.

Meswani obtained his undergraduate degree from Mumbai University and pursued his master's in chemical engineering at the University of Massachusetts, USA. Upon completing his studies, he returned to India and joined his family business.