Bharti Airtel Announces Leadership Changes
Gopal Vittal to become Executive Vice Chairman; Shashwat Sharma to succeed him as MD & CEO in January 2026
Chennai, December 18, 2025: Gopal Vittal has led Bharti Airtel as Managing Director & CEO for the last thirteen years. As part of a structured succession process, Gopal, in addition to being the Managing Director, was appointed Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel Ltd in October 2024. Shashwat Sharma was appointed CEO designate of the Company.
In line with the planned succession, Gopal Vittal will move into the role of Executive Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel on the 1st of January 2026, overseeing Bharti Airtel and all its subsidiaries.
In his new role, besides oversight of the companies, Gopal will also be responsible for driving group synergies in the areas of digital and technology, network strategy, procurement and talent. He will also focus on Group strategy and future proofing the organization for the next evolution of its development.
Following a well-structured and successful transition process, Gopal will be succeeded by Shashwat Sharma as MD and CEO of Bharti Airtel India on the 1st of January 2026. In his role as CEO designate, Shashwat has over the past twelve months spent considerable time working alongside Gopal across the business in preparation for the role. Shashwat will report to Gopal.
Additionally, Soumen Ray, currently the Chief Financial Officer for Bharti Airtel India, will be appointed as Group Chief Financial Officer reporting to Gopal. Soumen has been in his current role for about 4 years and has been instrumental in guiding Bharti Airtel’s financial performance.
Akhil Garg, currently Financial Controller, Bharti Airtel, will be appointed as Chief Financial Officer for Bharti Airtel India. Akhil has been with Airtel for nearly 12 years and has held multiple roles leading several business projects including the Hexacom IPO. In his new role, Akhil will report to Shashwat and Soumen.
Rohit Puri, currently Joint Company Secretary & Compliance Officer, will be appointed as Company Secretary & Compliance Officer for Bharti Airtel. Pankaj Tewari, who is the Group Company Secretary, will continue to provide leadership and oversight at a group level.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Airtel said: ‘I am extremely pleased with the succession and transition of leadership at Airtel and there could not have been a better time, where change and continuity will go hand in hand. I have no doubt both Gopal and Shashwat will continue to build on the momentum and I wish them much success in their roles.
As an organization we pride ourselves with our highly energised and professional management team, which combined with our entrepreneurial flair, brings to hundreds of millions of customers the best technology and services across the geographies we operate. I look forward to working alongside Gopal and the team to continue this pursuit as we drive towards our ambition of building the best global telecom company.
