Rainmaker behind Mukesh Ambani’s US$13bil deal spree

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani.(pic) depends on Modi, who is reserved and mostly invisible to the public.

HE has no flashy titles and few outside India know his name. But in the halls of Reliance Industries Ltd, Manoj Modi has quietly become one of the most powerful forces behind the corporate empire of Asia’s richest man.

Reserved and mostly invisible to the public, Modi is viewed by many insiders and others in India’s business world as the right hand of billionaire Mukesh Ambani. He played a key role during negotiations for a US$5.7bil deal with Facebook Inc in April, backing Ambani and his children as they hashed out an agreement with the social networking giant, sources said.