Billionaire oil tycoon and son of richest man in India appointed professor of sustainability at Newcastle University
Anant Ambani, the son of India's richest man who made his vast fortune through oil and gas, has been appointed professor of sustainability at Newcastle University.
The son of India's richest man, who made his vast fortune through oil and gas, has been appointed professor of sustainability at Newcastle University.
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The appointment has raised eyebrows considering Anant Ambani is the son of Mukesh Ambani, owner of the world’s largest oil refinery, and one of the wealthiest men in Asia, who is worth a staggering $100bn, according to Forbes.
Mr Ambani had been given a professorship of practice for “his work in conservation, biodiversity protection, animal welfare and environmental stewardship” and “significant contributions to advancing a more sustainable future”.
Mr Ambani runs a controversial 3,500-acre "mega zoo" near Gujarat which is home to 150,000 animals including 200 lions, 250 leopards and 900 crocodiles.
In 2024, he held a lavish, six-day wedding in Mumbai costing around $1 billion. High-profile guests included Tony Blair, Narendra Modi, Boris Johnson, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Priyanka Chopra, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, with performances froms stars such as Rihanna, Adele, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Pitbull.
In 2025, an investigation by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitungfound many animals delivered to Vantara arrived through countries with murky wildlife trading networks such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Arab Emirates, raising concerns that endangered species may have been illegally trafficked.
In August last year, an investigation lasting less than three weeks by India’s supreme court, cleared zoo operators of any wrongdoing.
A subsequent mission into the zoo by Cites, the UN body that regulates the trade of endangered species, found some of the permits used to bring animals to Vantara were most likely forged, as reported in the Guardian.
The Ambani family and Vantara have previously denied the allegations of wildlife trafficking.
In a statement, the university said Ambani’s vision "resonates strongly with Newcastle University’s own commitment to advancing a more sustainable future. Through pioneering research and education in energy transitions, clean energy systems and electrification, the University is helping to develop the technologies, evidence and skilled workforce needed to support the global shift to a low-carbon economy."
A recent ceremony was held to honour Ambani in King’s Hall within the historic Armstrong Building, which in 1967 was the setting for Dr Martin Luther King Jr receiving his honorary doctorate.
On receiving the honour of Professor of Practice in Sustainability at Newcastle University, Professor Ambani said in his lecture called ‘The road to a sustainable tomorrow’: “As humanity confronts a different set of global challenges, I believe conservation and sustainability must become the next great movement - one that transcends nations, generations and differences.
“It is in that spirit that I accept this honour - not simply as a recognition of past work, but as a responsibility to do more: to help build a future in which people and nature thrive together, on the one planet we all call home.”
The university added Ambani's work on the rehabilitation of elephants was recognised with the prestigious ‘Prani Mitra’ National Award, India’s highest recognition for corporate contribution to animal welfare.
Professor Ambani became the youngest and first Asian recipient of the Global Humane Award, a prestigious recognition for leadership in evidence-based welfare programs, science-led conservation initiatives and sustained efforts to protect vulnerable species worldwide, the university said.
"I don't know if Newcastle is hoping for a donation," said Richard Power-Sayeed, writer, broadcaster and PhD candidate in the Department of Political Economy at King's College London.
"But as long as we accept UK universities depending on big donors, then we should continue to expect implicit constraints on free speech in Britain's public institutions, and those constraints are dictated by the interests of billionaires.
"That's what you get from university funding cuts, and cuts to student visas."
A Newcastle University spokesperson said: “The award of a Professorship of Practice recognises Mr Ambani’s contributions to conservation, biodiversity protection, animal welfare and environmental stewardship through his work with Vantara, a wildlife rescue and conservation initiative, and as the executive lead for the Reliance Group’s transition toward a green energy future.”