NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel on Monday announced that Shashwat Sharma will take over as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2026.
Currently serving as Chief Operating Officer, Shashwat will succeed Gopal Vittal, who will move into the role of Executive Vice Chairman.
In his new position, Shashwat will oversee the entire end-to-end consumer business, with Gopal providing mentorship during this transition.
“I am extremely pleased with the succession and transition plan of leadership at Airtel and there could not have been a better time for Airtel to unveil the new arrangement where change and continuity will go hand in hand,” said Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Airtel.
As part of a structured succession process, Gopal, in addition to his role as Managing Director, will be appointed Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel Ltd.
In this position, he will continue to lead the India business while taking on broader telecom responsibilities across the group. Gopal will also join the Board of Airtel Africa Plc as Bharti's nominee director to provide strategic guidance.
Additionally, he will be responsible for driving group synergies in key areas such as network strategy, digital technology, procurement, and talent management.
Gopal Vittal, who has been Managing Director and CEO for the last twelve years, has successfully built a strong portfolio of businesses across mobile, B2B, home broadband, DTH, and digital services. Despite the intensely competitive mobile sector, Airtel has seen its revenue market share grow from 30 per cent to 40 per cent.
Airtel also announced that Rakesh Bharti Mittal, who has served the company for nine years in his current role, will move to the boards of Indus Towers Limited and Bharti Hexacom Limited. Rajan Bharti Mittal will return to Airtel as the Bharti Board nominee with immediate effect.