Alumni Q&A: Hital Meswani

Hital Meswani (ENG’90, W’90) is an Executive Director and Board member at Reliance Industries Limited, where he oversees manufacturing of refining and petrochemicals, research and technology, capital projects execution, and new energy initiatives. Meswani also serves as Chair of Penn Engineering’s India Advisory Board and will join a fireside chat at the Penn India Technology Forum on March 13.

A graduate of Penn’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Meswani earned bachelor’s degrees in Chemical Engineering and Economics. Since joining Reliance, a major Indian conglomerate, in 1990, Meswani has played a key role in company initiatives such as the development of the Jamnagar refinery complex, the largest of its kind in the world at a single location.

In this Q&A, Meswani reflects on the intellectual rigor of his Penn Engineering education, the professors and experiences that shaped his way of thinking, his passions outside the classroom, and why giving back to Penn is an essential part of completing the circle that began during his undergraduate years.

Tell us about your time at Penn Engineering as a student.

My time at Penn Engineering was intellectually intense and deeply formative. Coming from India, it was a completely different environment for higher education. Penn exposed me to a culture of independent thinking, rigorous problem solving and open debate. Chemical engineering taught me not just equations and processes, but a way of structuring complex problems and breaking them down into parts and solving each part separately.

Penn Engineering also gave me initial exposure to computer science and an algorithmic approach to solving problems, something I still use every day. The campus environment pushed me to be curious outside the classroom, whether through interactions with diverse classmates or by exploring different interests such as squash, tennis and chess. I even discovered a love for the great outdoors through skiing in the Poconos or canoeing on the Delaware River.

Penn Engineering gave me the confidence to question assumptions and to approach challenges with both discipline and creativity. It taught me the art of challenging conventional wisdom through robust, engineering-based approaches. These habits have stayed with me throughout my career, across industries and evolving technologies, in running and creating businesses.

What was your most memorable moment at Penn?

As an M&T student, I had limited flexibility to take classes beyond my curriculum requirements. However, I managed to take a music course, “History of Western Classical Music.” I recall listening to CDs on my headphones at Van Pelt for homework and watching the Philadelphia Orchestra in concert every other week. This sparked my interest in music and reconnected me with my roots, igniting a passion for Indian classical music. I started going to Tower Records on South Street every week to pick up the latest albums. Listening to them has enriched my life and remains one of my favorite art forms.

What is a fun fact about you?

The roots of my fun fact go back to Penn, where I started playing tennis. My love for the sport grew over the years, and reached a whole new level during the reign of Roger Federer, my favorite athlete of all time. To me, he is someone who defies the laws of physics. His focus and instinct combined with his poetic playing style make him an immensely effective player who quietly destroys his opponents. I often watch Federer highlights on YouTube before I go to sleep!

Which professor had the greatest impact on you and why?

Eduardo Glandt, whose class I took before he was Dean, had a significant impact on me. He emphasized fundamental concepts and clarity of thought over memorization. What stayed with me was not a specific equation, but the insistence on understanding “why” before “how.” His teaching style encouraged me to challenge assumptions, test logic and think systematically. That approach shaped how I handle complex industrial decisions today, whether in petrochemicals, refining or renewable energy. He taught me that true engineering excellence lies in disciplined thinking and intellectual honesty. One experience I remember vividly is when a student asked him how “real life” is different from “theory.”  He answered that “the most practical thing is theory itself,” and that “everything in life is just a fudge factor of theory.”  Such instances have influenced me significantly through the years.

What inspires you to give to Penn?

Penn played a defining role in shaping who I am, both professionally and personally. Giving back is my way of honoring that foundation and ensuring future students have access to the same transformative opportunities. I am especially inspired by Penn’s commitment to innovation and interdisciplinary learning, which is increasingly important as the world moves toward sustainable energy and advanced technologies.

Penn Engineering, under Dean Vijay Kumar’s leadership, continues to further enhance this commitment and scale the School to greater heights. Penn Engineering is to be further credited for building a very strong community of alumni. This is evident from the extremely enthusiastic and closely involved Board of Advisors, the community of Alumni in India and other parts of the world, and the newly formed India Advisory Board.

Supporting Penn is not just about gratitude; it is about investing in future problem solvers who will tackle climate change, energy transitions and global development. It feels like completing a circle that began for me in 1990.