Mumbai: Ms. Isha Ambani has been appointed to the Board of Trustees of the prestigious Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, part of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum, education and research complex, based in the USA.

The appointment was approved by the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents, led by US Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. as Chancellor and Vice President Kamala D. Harris (Ex Officio).
Isha will serve a term of four years as one of the youngest board members of the National Museum of Asian Art, which was the Smithsonian’s first dedicated art museum and opened as the Freer Gallery of Art in 1923.

Isha’s vision and passion for the arts is expected to accelerate the Smithsonian’s efforts to make their collections and expertise more accessible and compelling and enable better understanding and celebration of Indian and Asian arts and cultures.

The appointees to the board come to the museum as it prepares for its centennial in 2023—a milestone celebration and a springboard for the museum’s transformative vision for its next century, which will broaden and deepen the museum’s impact and reach, both onsite and online.

Isha Ambani is a Director of Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (Jio), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, headquartered in Mumbai, that owns businesses across India engaged in energy, petrochemicals, textiles, retail and digital services. After observing slow Internet speeds at home in 2011, she led, in 2016, the launch of Jio, which built an all-IP, all-4G wireless telecommunications services from the ground up ushering a digital revolution in India. She helped it become one of the leading mobile data markets in the world; Jio is today India’s largest mobile network operator with over 440 million subscribers.

Recently, Ambani was one of the lead negotiators in multiple transactions that led to over $20bn in global equity capital flowing into Jio Platforms Ltd., including a $5.7 bn deal with Facebook. Ambani manages the branding customer experience and marketing of Reliance Retail and Jio. She was also the force behind the launch of fashion portal Ajio.com and oversees the ecommerce venture JioMart that aims to bring the power of ecommerce to small and medium businesses. She also serves as the Director of Reliance Foundation, India’s largest Foundation. Reliance Foundation, among other things, seeks to protect and promote India’s cultural heritage, elevate Indian art and bring global art to India. Committed to the democratization of access to art, Ambani has a deep love for Indian art and a passion to bring that art to new audiences. She has degrees from Yale University and Stanford University and worked as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company in New York.

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