How Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Enterprises is orchestrating a textbook succession

From time to time over the past two years, there have been reports of succession planning in the Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Enterprises. So, when it was recently announced that Mittal would step down as chairman of Airtel Africa and Gopal Vittal would take his place, it was seen as another step forward in a planned succession process. At the same time, Mittal’s son Shravin has been elevated to deputy chairman. Coincidentally or otherwise, Sunil Taldar took over as CEO in July 2024, and Gopal Vittal joined the company’s board in the same month, further clarifying Airtel Africa’s future leadership structure.

Says Sidhya Senani, CEO of BAF Consultants, a well-known family business advisory firm in India: “Succession is a long, deliberate, and gradual process. Vittal’s journey from CEO & MD to Executive Vice Chairman, along with his earlier induction onto the Airtel Africa board, clearly shows a well-sequenced transition rather than a sudden shift. Shravin’s career path will now be anchored less in operations and more in strategy and governance.”

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Adds Manoj Kohli, former Managing Director and CEO (International), Bharti Airtel: “At the Bharti Group, transitions have been very smooth. The current reorganisation is part of a seamless succession plan that Airtel is known for.”

It was in early 2014 that Kohli stepped down and Christian de Faria took over. In 2010, Airtel had acquired Zain Telecom’s Africa business for $10.7 billion. The initial years were challenging, but following a sustained turnaround, the company was listed on the London and Nairobi stock exchanges. The current transition at Airtel Africa reflects textbook best practices in family businesses, where the next generation is mentored by trusted professional leaders before taking on larger roles.

Today, Airtel operates in 17 countries and is among the top three mobile service providers globally, with over 490 million customers. It remains a key and profitable group company. Bharti Enterprises has five companies in India across telecom, telecom infrastructure, hospitality, food, real estate, and insurance, along with four international businesses in similar sectors. The overarching point is that the group’s scale allows space for multiple family members to participate.

Says Rahul Mishra, Professor of Strategy at IILM Institute of Higher Education: “Telecom is a technically oriented sector, and experienced professionals add greater value than family members. The latest transition is a definitive step towards greater professionalisation within the Bharti Group.”

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Family and business dynamics

Sunil and his wife Nyna have twin sons, Shravin and Kavin (both around 40), and a 37-year-old daughter, Eisha Bharti Pasricha. Shravin, apart from being on the board of Airtel Africa, is also Managing Director of Bharti Global.

Bharti Global, the international investment arm of Bharti Enterprises, has built a strong track record of long-term investments in the UK, including the revival of OneWeb, a satellite communications company that merged with Eutelsat in 2023. Through Norlake Hospitality, it also owns marquee assets such as The Hoxton, Estelle Manor, Maison Estelle, and Gleneagles in Scotland.

Kavin, on the other hand, founded Hike Global, a messaging app startup. In September 2025, after 13 years, he decided to shut down the business. While revenues grew, losses widened from $15 million in FY21 to $19 million in FY24. Reflecting on this, Kavin noted that while execution was strong, product-market fit remained elusive, highlighting lessons around market selection and regulatory clarity.

Equally significant is the non-profit Bharti Foundation, whose Board of Trustees includes Sunil, Rakesh, and Rajan Mittal, along with Eisha Pasricha.

Sunil Mittal’s brothers, Rakesh and Rajan Mittal, also play key roles in the group and serve on the board of Indus Towers, a major group company with a market capitalisation of approximately ₹1.18 lakh crore as of March 2026.

Key trends

Several trends emerge. First, succession planning at Bharti is structured and deliberate, not ad hoc. Second, Gopal Vittal has emerged as a key professional leader who will help guide the group forward. Third, any succession framework must accommodate the broader Mittal family. Fourth, with the next generation having strong global exposure, future growth may increasingly come from international markets. Finally, the group encourages entrepreneurial risk-taking, as seen in ventures like Hike—reinforcing the idea that failure is part of the learning curve.

The latest leadership transition at Airtel Africa should be viewed within this broader strategic and governance framework.