Bharti Airtel announced on Wednesday that Shashwat Sharma will take over as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel India, effective January 1, 2026. The board approved the appointment on December 18 for a five-year term, subject to shareholder approval.

As part of a planned succession strategy, current MD & CEO Gopal Vittal will transition to the newly created position of Executive Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel. In his new role, Vittal will focus on driving group synergies across digital and technology, network strategy, and talent management, while shaping the organization’s next growth phase.

Sharma, previously appointed as CEO-designate, has spent the past year working alongside Vittal to prepare for this leadership transition. He will report directly to Vittal in his new capacity.

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The leadership restructuring extends to the finance function. Soumen Ray has been appointed as Group Chief Financial Officer, while Akhil Garg will serve as Chief Financial Officer for Airtel India.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Airtel, expressed satisfaction with the succession plan, emphasizing that both change and continuity will work together as the leadership builds on the company’s strong momentum.

The appointments signal Airtel’s strategic focus on seamless leadership transition while maintaining operational excellence in India’s competitive telecom sector.

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