Anant Ambani, the son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, has been awarded a Professorship of Practice in Sustainability at Newcastle University. But the appointment has prompted criticism from academics and conservationists over his environmental record and his role in the Vantara wildlife facility in Gujarat.
The university, however, said the honour recognised Ambani's work in conservation, biodiversity protection, animal welfare and environmental stewardship.
Newcastle announced the professorship on 14 September, describing Ambani as an Executive Director of Reliance Industries who is involved in the company's transition towards renewable and clean energy.
The appointment was subsequently criticised, drawing questions over how a university focused on sustainability had assessed his record and the work of Vantara, the large wildlife rescue and conservation initiative he founded.
Ambani, 31, is a member of one of India's wealthiest business families.
His father, Mukesh Ambani, is chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, whose interests include oil and gas as well as newer investments in renewable energy. Anant Ambani has increasingly built his public profile around conservation and animal welfare through Vantara.
Anant Ambani Appointment Draws Questions
Newcastle said the professorship recognised Ambani's contributions through Vantara and his work on Reliance's energy transition.
The explanation has not persuaded everyone.
Ramachandra Guha, an Indian public intellectual and author of Speaking With Nature: The Origins of Indian Environmentalism, questioned the decision and said there were many scientists and environmental practitioners who could have been considered for such an honour.
'I must say that it is a rather mystifying choice,' Guha said. He added that he could name 'at least 50, perhaps 100' people who had made what he considered more direct contributions to environmental work in India.
Guha also questioned whether Newcastle had carried out sufficient due diligence before making the appointment, saying the decision could affect the university's institutional credibility and intellectual standing.
Bhuvan Mangalore, an investigator of illegal wildlife trade who is completing a dissertation on Vantara at Anglia Ruskin University, was more succinct in his reaction, asking: 'Is this a joke?'
Concerns have also been raised by Newcastle staff. Prof Matt Perry, chair of the University and College Union branch at the university, said staff members had objected to the appointment because of environmental concerns.
Prof Lyla Mehta of the University of Sussex's Institute of Development Studies raised a wider concern about the influence of wealthy individuals and corporations on universities as public funding comes under pressure.
'Universities are supposed to be places that question power and hold corporations to account, not give them academic legitimacy,' she said.
Why Vantara Faced Wildlife Scrutiny
The criticism has also revived attention on Vantara, which Ambani established as a wildlife rescue and conservation initiative near the Reliance family's oil refining facilities in Gujarat.
Vantara has said it houses more than 150,000 animals, although figures for the facility's animal population are not independently audited in the material cited here. It has promoted its work around animal rescue, rehabilitation and conservation, while Ambani launched Vantara University in April as an institution focused on wildlife conservation and veterinary science.
The facility has also faced scrutiny over how some animals were sourced.
A 2025 investigation by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung raised concerns that animals delivered to Vantara had arrived through countries with opaque wildlife trading networks, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Arab Emirates. The reporting raised questions about whether endangered animals could have been illegally trafficked.
A subsequent fact-finding mission by CITES, the international treaty governing trade in endangered wildlife, also raised concerns about documentation used in some animal imports. Its report said some permits were probably forged and warned that large-scale imports could inadvertently create demand for illegally sourced animals.
That is not, however, the end of the legal record.
A Supreme Court-appointed inquiry in India examined allegations surrounding Vantara, and a later Supreme Court order said the investigation had found no violation of law. The court also rejected the basis for allegations of animal smuggling or laundering.
The differing findings are important. CITES raised concerns about documentation and the risks associated with wildlife imports, while the subsequent Indian legal proceedings did not establish that Vantara had violated the law.
CITES later faced objections from India, the US and Japan over measures concerning wildlife imports, with the countries arguing that there was insufficient evidence to support restrictions.
In August, Vantara announced what it described as a 'reset' of its operations, appointing a former CITES chief to oversee the facility and saying it would voluntarily pause wildlife imports until June next year.
The organisation has continued to reject allegations of wrongdoing, saying its mission remains focused on 'the rescue, rehabilitation and care of animals'.
Newcastle has defended its decision to appoint Ambani. A university spokesperson said the Professorship of Practice recognised his contributions to conservation, biodiversity protection, animal welfare and environmental stewardship through Vantara, as well as his role in Reliance's transition towards a green energy future.
