December 19, 2025 | New Delhi: Bharti Airtel has announced a major change in its leadership, marking a new chapter for the telecom company as it prepares for 2026. Shashwat Sharma has been appointed as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2026, following a well-planned succession strategy that was set in motion more than a year ago.

This update comes as the company aims to strengthen its position in India’s fast-changing telecom market.

Gopal Vittal Moves to New Role

After serving as CEO for 13 years, Gopal Vittal will step into a new role as Executive Vice Chairman and Whole-time Director. His leadership has been instrumental in Bharti Airtel’s growth over the past decade, and he will now work closely with the board to support long-term strategies.

Shashwat Sharma, who was named CEO-designate in October 2024, is set to take over day-to-day leadership. Sharma has previously led key functions across marketing, digital, and product teams within Airtel and is seen as someone deeply familiar with the business.

Changes in the Finance Team

The company has also reshuffled its financial leadership:

• Soumen Ray, who currently serves as CFO for Bharti Airtel India, will now take over as Group CFO.
• Akhil Garg, currently Financial Controller, will step up as the new CFO of Bharti Airtel India.

These appointments are also set to take effect from January 1, 2026, and will be valid for a term of five years, pending shareholder approval.

Board-Level Appointments

The Airtel board has also approved:

• Rohit Krishnan Puri as Company Secretary and Compliance Officer
• Pankaj Tiwari will continue in his role as Group Company Secretary

Chairman’s Statement

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Airtel, said the timing for this transition is ideal and expressed full confidence in the incoming team. According to him, Airtel is well-positioned to maintain its growth and handle the next phase of its operations effectively.

Bharti Airtel Q2 FY26 Performance Snapshot

While announcing the leadership update, Bharti Airtel also released its Q2 FY26 results, which showed strong financial performance.

• Revenue: ₹52,145 crore (up 25.7{3ed7819c3563dca85364f9c966d48c284cd3d43c23a196a6bbb99b5b9eebb247} YoY)
• Net Profit: ₹6,792 crore (up 73.6{3ed7819c3563dca85364f9c966d48c284cd3d43c23a196a6bbb99b5b9eebb247} YoY)
• EBITDA: ₹29,919 crore
• EBITDA Margin: 57.4{3ed7819c3563dca85364f9c966d48c284cd3d43c23a196a6bbb99b5b9eebb247}
• ARPU: ₹256 (all-time high)

In India, revenue increased by 22.6{3ed7819c3563dca85364f9c966d48c284cd3d43c23a196a6bbb99b5b9eebb247}, supported by more users opting for higher-value plans and growing mobile data use. Airtel’s Homes business continued its solid run with 30.2{3ed7819c3563dca85364f9c966d48c284cd3d43c23a196a6bbb99b5b9eebb247} growth.

Operations in Africa also did well, with 24.2{3ed7819c3563dca85364f9c966d48c284cd3d43c23a196a6bbb99b5b9eebb247} growth in constant currency terms, and profit margins stayed steady.

Network Expansion

Over the last 12 months, Airtel:

• Added 12,796 towers
• Rolled out over 44,000 km of new fibre
• Continued to expand its 5G network coverage across the country

Market Reaction

As of 12:08 PM IST on December 19, Bharti Airtel shares were trading at ₹2,090 on the NSE, showing a slight dip of 0.096{3ed7819c3563dca85364f9c966d48c284cd3d43c23a196a6bbb99b5b9eebb247}.

Final Thoughts

Bharti Airtel’s leadership reshuffle signals a strong, steady handover as it prepares for future growth. The mix of experienced leaders and solid Q2 performance suggests the company is staying focused on both execution and expansion — in India and abroad.