Shashwat Sharma, currently the Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed by Bharti Airtel as the New Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with effect from January 1, 2026. Sharma combines a keen interest in customer-centric innovation with experience in strategic marketing. Shashwat will be appointed as the company’s CEO designate to prepare for this position, where he will be in charge of all consumer business operations.
In 2018, Sharma became the Chief Marketing and Brand Officer at Bharti Airtel. He then rose to the position of Director of Consumer Business before becoming CEO of Direct-To-Home (DTH) services. His promotion to Chief Operating Officer in October 2023 further cemented his standing as a dynamic leader who can propel growth with operational and marketing savvy.
As part of the company’s planned succession plan, Gopal Vittal, who has served as MD and CEO for the last 12 years, has also been promoted to vice chairman. In this position, he will continue to oversee India’s business while assuming more general telecom duties throughout the organization. To offer strategic direction, Vittal will be appointed as the Bharti nominee director to the Airtel Africa Plc Board. He will also be in charge of promoting group synergies in a few areas, including talent, digital and technology, network strategy, and procurement.
In his capacity as CMO, he led the #AirtelThanks campaign, which changed Airtel’s brand positioning to emphasize inclusivity and digital access while improving customer engagement through tailored services and special deals. His emphasis on creating meaningful, human connections has been a defining feature of his leadership. Airtel is well-positioned to strengthen its presence in both urban and rural markets, address new digital demands, and expand its customer engagement strategy under his direction.
Sharma led well-known brands like Closeup, Pepsodent, Dove, and Lakme for 13 years at Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) before joining Airtel. He started Lever Ayush, an Ayurvedic company, during his tenure, and it became very popular in just a year. Since he oversaw the Domestos brand throughout Asia and spearheaded a €100 million expansion into new markets, Sharma’s experience went beyond India. His time at HUL gave him a thorough awareness of the subtleties of the Asian market as well as a talent for winning over local customers’ trust, two qualities he has carried over to Airtel.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Airtel said,
“Airtel, India’s foremost corporate entity, has had a distinguished record of well thought out structured succession planning. 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. Empowerment has been an article of faith with me which has resulted in a highly energized management delivering superior results. Airtel is one of the rare homegrown enterprises where the finest professionals combine entrepreneurial flair to bring to hundreds of millions of customers, the best technology and services in our industry.”Â
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