Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited has been selected as the honorary head of Geneva-based foundation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies. The nomination as the chairman of the Federation, which is the apex body of 197 Red Cross Societies spread over 175 countries across the world, has been seen as the federation's efforts to bridge better links with the corporate world and international humanitarian efforts.

RIL is India's largest private enterprise with an annual turnover of US $ 15 billion.

According to PTI reports, Ambani, who was impressed with the work of the Red Cross following the earthquake in his home state of Gujarat in 2001, told members of the international federation's governing board, "This board is about building a partnership between the world's biggest corporate enterprises and the world's biggest humanitarian organisation. It is corporate citizenship in practice. I am proud to be the latest recruit to the worldwide family of Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers."

The International Federation was founded in 1919 in Paris in the aftermath of World War I. The war had shown a need for close cooperation between Red Cross Societies, which, through their humanitarian activities on behalf of prisoners of war and combatants, had attracted millions of volunteers and built a large body of expertise.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the world's largest humanitarian network, with a presence and activities in almost every country.

The Movement incorporates the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (the International Federation), as well as National Societies and has 115 million volunteers associated in 178 countries across the world.