Mumbai: India’s second-largest telecom service provider, Bharti Airtel, has announced a reshuffle of its top management as the company faces challenges to maintain its market share both in India and Africa.
Gopal Vittal, the current MD and CEO of Bharti Airtel India, is all set to transition to the role of Executive Vice Chairman while Shashwat Sharma replaces him. The leadership change, effective January 1, 2026, comes at a time when the company is facing increasing margin pressures with high investments for 5G infrastructure and rising data consumption impacting margins.
In his previous role as the Chief Operating Officer, Sharma worked with Vittal across businesses and functions to understand the operations and offer solutions. As the MD and CEO of Bharti Airtel, Sharma now has to steer the company to its next phase of growth, which will include investments in 5G, digital platforms and enterprise services.
“I am extremely pleased with the succession and transition of leadership at Airtel and there could not have been a better time, where change and continuity will go hand in hand. I have no doubt both Gopal and Shashwat 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, Bharti Airtel said.
