Mumbai: Bharti Airtel has announced a significant leadership transition as part of its long-planned succession strategy, with several top-level appointments set to take effect from January 1, 2026. The board approved the changes at its meeting on December 18, 2025, the company said in a filing to the BSE.
Shashwat Sharma, currently CEO-designate, will formally assume charge as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Bharti Airtel India, succeeding Gopal Vittal, who has led the company for over a decade. Sharma has spent the past year shadowing Vittal across business operations to ensure a smooth transition and will report to him in his new role.
Vittal, presently Vice Chairman and Managing Director, will move into the newly defined position of Executive Vice Chairman for a five-year term, subject to shareholder approval. In this strategic role, he will oversee Bharti Airtel and its subsidiaries while steering synergy programmes across digital, technology, network strategy, procurement, and talent.
“Besides oversight of the companies, Gopal will also be responsible for driving group synergies… and preparing the organisation for its next phase of development,” Airtel said in a statement.
The Sunil Mittal-led group emphasised that the transition — initiated in 2024 — follows a “well-structured and successful process,” positioning the company for its next cycle of growth amid accelerating digital adoption and network expansion.
On the financial leadership front, Soumen Ray, currently Chief Financial Officer, has been elevated to Group Chief Financial Officer, while Akhil Garg, the company’s financial controller, will become the CFO for Airtel India. Garg, who has spent nearly 12 years with the company, has played a key role in major initiatives including the Hexacom IPO.
In the corporate governance function, Rohit Puri, joint company secretary and compliance officer, will step up as Company Secretary and Compliance Officer. Pankaj Tewari, Group Company Secretary, will continue to lead governance at the group level.
Expressing confidence in the transition, Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Mittal said the timing and structure of the handover ensure both continuity and renewed momentum.
“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,” Mittal said. “I look forward to working alongside Gopal and the team as we drive towards our ambition of building the best global telecom company.”
The leadership overhaul comes as Airtel sharpens its focus on digital services, 5G expansion, enterprise solutions, and next-generation connectivity platforms — areas expected to define the next phase of telecom growth in India and abroad.
