Bharti Airtel Ltd. has announced major changes in its senior management. The company said its board has approved the appointment of Shashwat Sharma as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will take charge from January 1, 2026. Sharma is currently the CEO Designate and has been preparing for the role for the past year. He will be appointed for a five-year term, subject to approval by shareholders.
In a stock exchange filing, the company said the decision was taken based on the recommendation of the HR and Nomination Committee.
Bharti Airtel also announced that its current Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Gopal Vittal, will become Executive Vice-Chairman from January 1, 2026, for five years. In this role, he will oversee Bharti Airtel and all its subsidiaries. Sharma will report to Vittal.
In another key change, Soumen Ray, who is currently the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Airtel, will be appointed Group Chief Financial Officer. He will also report to Vittal. Ray has been serving as CFO for about four years.
Akhil Garg, who is now the Financial Controller, will become the new Chief Financial Officer of Airtel. He has been with the company for nearly 12 years and has worked on several major projects, including the Hexacom IPO. In his new role, Garg will report to Sharma and Ray.
The company also said that Rohit Puri, currently Joint Company Secretary and Compliance Officer, will be appointed as Company Secretary and Compliance Officer. Pankaj Tewari will continue as Group Company Secretary and will oversee compliance at the group level. All appointments will require approval from the company’s shareholders.
“I have no doubt both Gopal (Vittal) and Shashwat (Sharma) will continue to build on the momentum, and I wish them much success in their roles. As an organisation ,we pride ourselves with our highly energised and professional management team, which combined with our entrepreneurial flair, brings to hundreds of millions of customers, the best technology and services across the geographies we operate,” Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Airtel, said.
Who is Shashwat Sharma?
Shashwat Sharma studied at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, and has an engineering degree from Delhi College of Engineering. As of 2025, he is in a temporary role while also leading the company’s consumer business.
He is the Chief Operating Officer (COO). Earlier, he managed all operations for Airtel India, handling different business areas, including the launch of the Airtel Thanks program. In 2019, he became the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and was responsible for marketing mobile, broadband, and digital services. When he first joined Airtel in 2018, he worked as the Chief Brand Officer.
Before joining Airtel, Sharma worked for more than ten years at Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL). There, he led the Oral Care business and helped launch the ayurvedic brand Lever Ayush. He also worked on marketing for well-known brands like Dove and Lakme.
