Bharti Group's Sunil Mittal Outlines Succession Timeline for Company

Sunil Bharti Mittal Outlines Succession Plan for Bharti Airtel

Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman of Bharti Enterprises and promoter of Bharti Airtel, has outlined his plan to gradually hand over the reins to the next generation of the Bharti family over the coming decade. During an analyst call on February 26, Mittal had first publicly spoken about succession planning, indicating that members of the next generation of the Bharti family would become increasingly visible "at the shareholders' table" over the coming years.

Mittal, who briefly joined Airtel's earnings call for the quarter ended March 2026 on Thursday, emphasized the long-term objective of consolidating promoter ownership under Bharti Telecom, the group's founding promoter entity. He plans to achieve this by utilizing the "twin levers" of dividends and buybacks. The goal is to increase Bharti Telecom's holding to above 51% in the next decade, which would require a 10% increase from the current level.

According to Mittal, the next generation of the Bharti family is being mentored by him, Airtel executive vice-chairman Gopal Vittal, and the group's senior leadership team as they assume larger responsibilities. The younger family members are running their own businesses, gaining experience, and learning from their failures and successes.

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Mittal has two sons, Shravin and Kavin, and a daughter, Eisha. His sons are already involved in various business ventures. Shravin is the managing director of Bharti Global, the international investment arm of Bharti Enterprises, while Kavin founded messaging platform Hike, which later pivoted to gaming before shutting operations last year. Eisha is a lifestyle investor based in London.

In addition to succession planning, Mittal also discussed Airtel's plans to increase its ownership in FTSE-listed Airtel Africa. He aims to gradually increase Airtel's ownership over the next seven to eight years, potentially up to the 90% ceiling allowed under UK regulations.

Mittal also took a swipe at India's information technology sector, stating that Airtel would avoid becoming overly reliant on dividends and buybacks at the cost of long-term growth investments and acquisitions. He emphasized the importance of investing in leading-edge businesses to ensure long-term growth and success.

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Sunil Bharti Mittal has been reappointed as chairman of Bharti Airtel for another five-year term beginning October this year. His plans for succession and growth are expected to have a significant impact on the company's future prospects.