• Gopal Vitthal’s promotion!


• Shashwat Sharma becomes the new MD and CEO of Airtel India


• Will assume charge from January 1

Bharti Airtel Ltd has made a big announcement on Thursday. The company has said that Shashwat Sharma has been appointed as the managing director and chief executive officer of the company. Shashwat Sharma will take charge of the company from January 1. Shashwat Sharma will now replace Gopal Vitthal. Gopal Vitthal will take over as Executive VC at Bharti Airtel from January 1. According to an exchange filing, the company has appointed Akhil Garg as Chief Financial Officer of Bharti Airtel India. The telecom company has appointed Soumen Ray as Group Chief Financial Officer. Shashwat Sharma is currently working as the Chief Operations Officer of Bharti Airtel Limited and has been appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company with effect from January 1, 2026.

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Gopal Vitthal has worked as MD and CEO of the company for more than 10 years. Meanwhile the company built a portfolio of businesses in mobile, B2B, home broadband, DTH and digital services. In the mobile sector, Airtel’s revenue share increased from 30% to 40% under Vitthal’s leadership. As per a previous release issued by the company, Vitthal will now hold telecom- responsibilities across the entire group. (Photo courtesy – LinkedIn)

The Board of Directors of India’s second largest telecom company has also approved the appointment of Vice Chairman and Managing Director Gopal Vittal as Executive Vice Chairman for five years from January 1, 2026, subject to shareholder approval.

For the past 13 years, Gopal Vitthal has been ably carrying out the duties of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Bharti Airtel. On October 2024, Gopal Vitthal was also appointed as the Vice-Chairman of Bharti Airtel Limited as part of the well-planned succession process of the company. Now the tenure of Gopal Vitthal has ended and there have been changes in the leadership of the company. Shashwath Sharma has been appointed as the designated CEO of the company in place of Gopal Vitthal. Sharma will take charge of this new post in the new year.

From January 1, 2026, Gopal Vitthal will take over as the Executive Vice President of the company. Gopal Vitthal will have the key responsibility of leading and overseeing the operations of all subsidiaries including Bharti Airtel Company. Gopal Vitthal will be involved in various decision-making processes including digital and technology functions. This will include network strategy, procurement process for various functions and coordinating the functions of various departments such as human resources and increasing group integration in all these processes. His particular focus will be on setting the strategic direction of the group and enabling and equipping the organization for future changes. Gopal Vitthal’s role will be crucial to ensure future innovation, technological advancement and long-term growth.

Shashwat Sharma will take charge as the new Managing Director and CEO of Bharti Airtel India from January 1. For the past year, Sharma has been thoroughly studying the preparations for the new responsibility. Sharma is the appointed Chief Executive Officer along with Gopal Vitthal who is taking full details of the upcoming appointment. He has closely experienced the various operations of the company during the preparatory process itself. After assuming the new charge, he will continue to report to Gopal Vitthal.

Currently Soumen Ray Bharti is working as the Chief Financial Officer of Airtel India. But he is going to be selected for the post of Chief Financial Officer of the group in the coming time. Soumen Ray will take charge of the new post under the guidance of Gopal Vitthal. Akhil Garg is currently working as the Financial Controller of the company. He will be appointed as the Chief Financial Officer of Bharti Airtel India in the coming years. Garg has been contributing significantly to the company’s operations for the past 12 years. During this period he successfully led large and important business projects like Hexacom IPO. Akhil Garg will handle the new post under the supervision of Shashwat Sharma and Soumen Ray.

The tenure of Rohit Puri, who is currently working as Joint Company Secretary and Compliance Officer, will also end now. Now Puri will handle all operations as Company Secretary and Compliance Officer. Group Company Secretary Pankaj Tiwari will continue his leadership and supervision at the group level and under his guidance the strategic working process of the company will continue.

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About the change in leadership of the company, Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said, “I am very happy with the manner in which the process of handing over the legacy of leadership in Airtel has been carried out. There could not be a better time to bring both change and continuity together. I strongly believe that both Gopal and Shasht will continue the momentum of growth and success of the company in the future as well. I wish both of them the best for their new responsibilities.”

Mittal also assured that the company’s future is moving in the right direction. “I am proud to have a highly motivated, skilled and professional management team working in the company. We are providing the best technology and world-class services to billions of customers around the world, powered by innovative entrepreneurial skills. I look forward to working with Gopal as well as the entire team. It is our resolve to carry forward this tradition of quality, consistency and innovation as we move towards our ambition to build the best telecom company internationally. Mittal expressed his determination.