Reliance Industries Ltd's chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani has been awarded the Dean's Medal from the University of Pennsylvania for his visionary leadership in the application of engineering and technology for the betterment of mankind.

Commenting on the inaugural medal, Eduardo Glandt, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, said, "Mukesh Ambani embodies what the engineering profession can contribute to a country, as someone who seeks to apply technology for the betterment of society."

In his acceptance speech, Mukesh Ambani said, “It (the medal) recognises the collective achievement of the Reliance family and the creativity of over 25,000 engineers in Reliance. I dedicate this medal to the indomitable spirit of our founder chairman, Dhirubhai Ambani and each and every member of the Reliance family."

Mr Ambani is currently steering Reliance's development of a pan-India retail network, a transformational initiative connecting rural and urban India. He was also instrumental in the formation of Reliance Infocomm Ltd, one of the largest information and communications initiatives in the world.

Among Mr Ambani's numerous honours are the 2007 US-India Business Council 'Global Vision' award for leadership; the 2006 ‘ET Business Leader of the Year’ Award by the Economic Times and the first NDTV Profit ‘Global Indian Leader Award’ in 2006.

Mr Ambani was the co-chair of the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2006 and received the 2004 World Communication Award as the ‘Most Influential Person’ in Telecommunications by Total Telecom.

In 2008, Mukesh Ambani was elected vice chairman of the executive committee of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. 

In India, he is a member of the Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry and of the Board of Governors of the National Council of Applied Economic Research. He is also Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, and a member of the Indo-US CEO’s Forum, the International Advisory Board of Citigroup, the International Advisory Board of the National Board of Kuwait, and the Advisory Council for Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, among other appointments.

— Yogesh Sapkale