Bharti Airtel has announced a set of senior leadership changes as part of a planned succession process, with Managing Director & CEO Gopal Vittal set to transition into the role of Executive Vice Chairman from January 1, 2026. Shashwat Sharma will succeed him as Managing Director and CEO of Bharti Airtel India on the same date.
Gopal Vittal has led Bharti Airtel as MD & CEO for the past thirteen years. In October 2024, he was additionally appointed Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel Ltd as part of a structured leadership transition, while Shashwat Sharma was named CEO-designate. In his new role as Executive Vice Chairman, Vittal will oversee Bharti Airtel and its subsidiaries, while also driving group-level synergies across digital and technology initiatives, network strategy, procurement, and talent. He will continue to focus on overall group strategy and future-readiness.
Following a year-long transition period, Shashwat Sharma will assume charge as MD & CEO of Bharti Airtel India. Over the past twelve months, Sharma has worked closely with Vittal across the business to prepare for the role and will report to him in his new capacity.
As part of the leadership realignment, Soumen Ray, currently Chief Financial Officer of Bharti Airtel India, will be appointed Group Chief Financial Officer, reporting to Vittal. Ray has held his current role for nearly four years and has played a key role in steering Airtel’s financial performance.
Akhil Garg, presently Financial Controller at Bharti Airtel, will take over as Chief Financial Officer for Bharti Airtel India. Garg, who has been with Airtel for close to twelve years, has led several key initiatives, including the Hexacom IPO, and will report to Shashwat Sharma and Soumen Ray.
Rohit Puri, currently Joint Company Secretary & Compliance Officer, will be appointed Company Secretary & Compliance Officer for Bharti Airtel. Pankaj Tewari will continue in his role as Group Company Secretary, providing leadership and oversight at the group level.
Commenting on the leadership transition, 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.”
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