After letting Gopal Vittal run the telecom giant for 12 years, Bharti Airtel (Airtel) has announced his successor. Mr. Shashwat Sharma will be appointed as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD and CEO) from January 1, 2026.
The Board of Directors has promoted Mr. Vital to Executive Vice Chairman of the Company, effective January 1, 2026. Sources said Vittal will now have a larger portfolio and will continue to lead Airtel’s business, human resources, IT and legal functions. Mr. Sharma will be responsible for three key consumer businesses: Mobile, DTH and Broadband (Home).
Mr. Sharma currently serves as Airtel’s Chief Operating Officer and joined the company in 2018 as Chief Brand Officer. Within a year, he was promoted to the role of Chief Marketing Officer in 2019, leading a complete marketing organization across B2C, B2B and corporate communications. .
In July 2022, he became CEO of Airtel DTH and was re-promoted to Director of Consumer Business.
airtel milestone
“In addition to building Airtel’s brand orientation, Shashwat has also been instrumental in leading the company’s marketing and growth strategy. Some of the notable initiatives he has driven include the launch of Airtel Thanks App, customer loyalty These include an ‘open to question’ proposal for 2020, and the launch of Airtel Black,” the company said.
Under his leadership, Airtel launched several industry-first innovations that highlight Airtel’s philosophy of building differentiation in its product catalog across mobility, broadband, enterprise and digital services. The company said these efforts are important in increasing its average revenue per user (ARPU).
Prior to joining Airtel, Sharma held various roles as a consumer marketer at Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), handling brands such as Dove to Lakme, Oral Care, and was responsible for the launch of HUL’s Ayurvedic brand, Lever Ayush. led the rise.
Sharma holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and a bachelor’s degree from the Delhi Institute of Technology.
“I am very happy with Airtel’s leadership succession and transition plan, and there could not have been a better time to announce a new arrangement that balances change and continuity for Airtel. Empowerment is for me As a result, a highly energetic management team has delivered excellent results,” Airtel Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said.
He added that Airtel is one of those rare home-grown companies where the best experts combine with entrepreneurial spirit to provide industry-leading technology and services to hundreds of millions of customers.
