Bharti Airtel became the third most valuable company leaving TCS behind, now Bharti Airtel has changed its CEO; Who got the responsibility?
New Delhi If you are associated with Airtel or keep an eye on the company's leadership, then this is a big update. Bharti Airtel has announced a major change in the top management from January 1, 2026. The company has appointed Shashwat Sharma (Airtel New CEO Shashwat Sharma) as the Managing Director (MD) and CEO of Airtel India, while the current CEO Gopal Vittal will now take on the role of Executive Vice Chairman.
Airtel gave this information in an exchange filing after the board meeting held on Thursday. According to the company, all these appointments have been made on the basis of the recommendations of HR and Nomination Committee and are part of the planned succession process.
What will be the tenure of the new CEO?
Shashwat Sharma's tenure will be five years, subject to shareholder approval. Currently, he is the CEO-designate and is handling the consumer business of Airtel. Prior to this, he had overseen operations as COO. The company said that Shashwat Sharma has shown strong performance in every responsibility and he has been working closely with Gopal Vittal for the last one year.
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Vittal will be seen in a new role from January 1
Whereas Gopal Vittal, who is currently the Vice Chairman and MD, will become the Executive Vice Chairman from January 1, 2026. In the new role he will oversee the entire Airtel Group and its subsidiaries. His focus will be on creating better coordination between digital, technology, network planning, procurement and talent management, so that the company can become stronger for the future.
Akhil Garg appointed as CFO
There has also been a change in the finance team. Current CFO Soumen Ray will now become Group CFO and report to Gopal Vittal. Akhil Garg has been appointed as the CFO of Airtel India. Apart from this, Rohit Krishna Puri has been made Company Secretary and Compliance Officer, while Pankaj Tiwari will continue in the role of Group Company Secretary.
What did Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal say?
Regarding this change, Airtel Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said, "I am very happy with the leadership succession and transition at Airtel. This change has happened at the right time, where change and continuity will go hand in hand. I am confident that Gopal and Shashwat will continue to drive the company's growth."
The country's third largest company was formed in July
Telecom giant Bharti Airtel had achieved a big achievement in July. Airtel had overtaken Tata Group's largest company TCS and became the third largest company in the country in terms of market cap. Currently the market cap of Bharti Airtel is more than $141 billion. Reliance Group is at first place with $231 billion and HDFC is at second place with $181 billion. While TCS is at fourth position with $131 billion.
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