NEW DELHI: Sunil Bharti Mittal, the Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, has been awarded Honorary Knighthood by the British King in recognition of his services to the UK and India business relations.
Mittal, who is promoter of India’s second-largest telecom firm Airtel, is the first Indian to be awarded the Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) by King Charles III, the company said in a statement.
Apart from his contribution to Indian business, Mittal and his company has left its mark in the UK business circle as well. Airtel Africa is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Mittal in recent months led the revival of OneWeb (now known as Eutelsat), leading a consortium with the UK Government and other strategic investors to offer satellite broadband services globally.
He is a member of the India-UK CEO Forum as well as a member of the Vice Chancellor’s Circle of Advisors at the University of Cambridge. He also served on the governing body of the London Business School (LBS) and as a member of the India Advisory Group at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Mittal said in a statement that he is deeply humbled by this gracious recognition from His Majesty, King Charles.
“UK and India have historical relations, which are now entering a new era of increased cooperation and collaboration. I remain committed to working towards strengthening the economic and bilateral trade relationships between our two great nations. I am thankful to the Government of UK, whose support and keen attention to the needs of business has been critical in making the country an attractive investment destination,” he said.
The investiture ceremony will be conducted by the British High Commissioner to India at a later date, when he will formally hand over the royal insignia to Mittal.
The KBE is among the highest honours conferred by the British Sovereign to civilians. It is awarded in an honorary capacity to foreign nationals.
Previous Indian recipients of the Honorary KBE include Ratan Tata (2009), Ravi Shankar (2001) and Jamshed Irani (1997), conferred by the late Queen Elizabeth II.