Bharti Airtel Leadership Shake-Up: Shashwat Sharma to Take CEO Helm in 2026

• Shashwat Sharma will assume office as Managing Director and CEO of Bharti Airtel India on January 1, 2026.
• Gopal Vittal, current MD & CEO, will transition to Executive Vice Chairman on the same date, overseeing group-level synergies.
• Soumen Ray, current CFO of Bharti Airtel India, will be appointed Group Chief Financial Officer.
• Akhil Garg will take over as Chief Financial Officer of Bharti Airtel India, reporting to Sharma and Ray.
• The changes are part of a long-planned leadership transition, balancing continuity and change, as stated by Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal.

Why It Matters: Bharti Airtel announces a major leadership transition, with Shashwat Sharma becoming CEO in 2026 and Gopal Vittal moving to Executive Vice Chairman.