Guwahati, Dec 19: Bharti Airtel on Thursday announced a major leadership transition as part of a structured succession plan, with long-serving Managing Director and CEO Gopal Vittal set to assume the role of Executive Vice Chairman from January 1, 2026.
Shashwat Sharma will succeed him as Managing Director and CEO of Bharti Airtel India.
Gopal Vittal has led the telecom major for the past 13 years and was appointed Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel Ltd in October 2024 as part of the transition process.
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In his new role as Executive Vice Chairman, Vittal will oversee Bharti Airtel and all its subsidiaries.
He will also be responsible for driving group-level synergies in digital and technology initiatives, network strategy, procurement and talent management, while focusing on long-term group strategy and future readiness.
Following a year-long transition period, Shashwat Sharma, who was appointed CEO-designate earlier, will take charge as MD and CEO of Bharti Airtel India on January 1, 2026.
Over the past 12 months, Sharma has worked closely with Vittal across business verticals to prepare for the role. He will report to Vittal.
The company also announced key finance and governance appointments. Soumen Ray, currently Chief Financial Officer of Bharti Airtel India, will be elevated to Group Chief Financial Officer and will report to Vittal.
Ray has been in his current role for around four years and has played a key role in strengthening Airtel’s financial performance.
Akhil Garg, presently Financial Controller at Bharti Airtel, will be appointed Chief Financial Officer of Bharti Airtel India.
Garg, who has been with the company for nearly 12 years, has led several major initiatives, including the Hexacom IPO. In his new role, he will report to Shashwat Sharma and Soumen Ray.
Rohit Puri, currently Joint Company Secretary and Compliance Officer, will be appointed Company Secretary and Compliance Officer of Bharti Airtel.
Pankaj Tewari will continue to provide leadership as Group Company Secretary at the group level.
Welcoming the leadership changes, Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said he was pleased with the smooth succession and transition process, noting that the company is entering a phase where continuity and change will move together.
He expressed confidence that Vittal and Sharma would continue to build on Airtel’s momentum and strengthen its leadership position.
Mittal added that Airtel’s highly professional and energised management team, combined with its entrepreneurial spirit, continues to deliver world-class technology and services to hundreds of millions of customers across geographies.
He said he looked forward to working closely with Vittal and the leadership team as the company pursues its ambition of becoming a leading global telecom enterprise.
