Speaker Bio
Sunil Bharti Mittal is the Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, one of India’s foremost first-generation corporations with interests in Telecom, Space Communications, Digital Solutions, Real Estate and Hospitality. Bharti has joint ventures with several global partners like SingTel, SoftBank, the UK and French Governments, amongst others.
Bharti Airtel, the flagship company of Bharti Enterprises, is a global telecommunications company with operations in 15 countries across India and Africa and ranks amongst the top three mobile operators globally. The company also has its presence in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka through its associate entities. It is one of India’s largest integrated communications solutions provider and Sub-Saharan Africa’s second-largest mobile operator, serving over half a billion customers across its operations.
Sunil is the Co-Chairman of Eutelsat Group, a global leader in satellite communications, delivering connectivity and broadcast services worldwide. Eutelsat Group is listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange, with Bharti as its single largest shareholder.
Sunil is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honors, awarded to individuals for demonstrating distinguished services of high order. In 2024, he was conferred as an Honorary Knight of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) making him the first Indian citizen to receive this recognition from HM King Charles III. KBE is one of the most prestigious civil honors bestowed by the British Sovereign, in an honorary capacity to foreign nationals
He is a recipient of Harvard Business School’s Alumni Achievement Award, the highest alumni honor given by the institute. He is on Harvard University’s Global Advisory Council and has served on the Board of Dean’s Advisors at Harvard Business School. Sunil received GSM Association’s prestigious Chairman’s Award and has been conferred Honorary Doctorates by several leading universities in India and Europe.
Sunil has served as the Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce and the Chairman of GSM Association concurrently from 2016 to 2018. He has been a Trustee at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace from 2009 to 2021. Sunil served as Chair of the B20 India Action Council on African Economic Integration during India’s G20 Presidency. He is also a serving Commissioner at the International Telecommunication Union/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development.
He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council and a member of the Global Board of Advisors at the Council on Foreign Relations. Sunil has served on the boards of several multinational companies including Unilever PLC, Standard Chartered Bank PLC and SoftBank Corp.
Sunil is closely associated with spearheading the Indian industry’s global trade and investments initiatives. He has served as the President of the Confederation of Indian Industry and has served on the Prime Minister of India’s Council on Trade and Industry. He is Co-Chair of the ICT and Emerging Technologies Working Group of the India-US CEO Forum and a member of the India-UK, India-Japan, India-Sweden CEO Forums. He is Co-Chair of the India-Africa Business Council.
Sunil believes that a responsible corporate has a duty to give back to the community in which it operates. This belief has resulted in Bharti Airtel Foundation, which currently runs more than 173 Satya Bharti Schools and supports over 800 government schools under its Quality Support Program to ensure holistic education.