Published on 19/12/2025 12:34 PM
Bharti Airtel Share Price: Bharti Airtel Ltd. on announced a key leadership transition, paving the way for a new chief executive officer in the new year, in line with the succession plan outlined over a year ago.
The board of directors of India’s second-largest telecom operator approved a series of senior management changes that will take effect from January 1, 2026, for a period of five years, subject to shareholder approval.
As part of the reshuffle, Gopal Vittal, who has served as Bharti Airtel’s CEO for the past 13 years, has been appointed Executive Vice Chairman and Whole-time Director. Shashwat Sharma, who was named CEO-designate in October 2024, has now been appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.
On the finance side, Soumen Ray, currently the Chief Financial Officer of Bharti Airtel India, has been elevated to the role of Group Chief Financial Officer, while Akhil Garg, the company’s financial controller, has been appointed CFO of Bharti Airtel India.
Commenting on the leadership transition, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Airtel, said the timing of the succession could not have been better and expressed confidence in the new leadership to carry forward the company’s growth momentum.
Separately, the board approved the appointment of Rohit Krishnan Puri as Company Secretary and Compliance Officer of Bharti Airtel Ltd., while Pankaj Tiwari will continue as Group Company Secretary.
On the stock market, Bharti Airtel shares were trading at Rs 2,090, down 0.096 per cent, on the NSE at 12:08 pm IST on December 19.
Bharti Airtel Ltd. delivered a strong Q2 FY26 performance, even as it announced a key leadership transition effective January 1, 2026. The telecom major reported a 25.7 per cent year-on-year rise in consolidated revenue to Rs 52,145 crore, while net profit surged 73.6 per cent to Rs 6,792 crore, led by higher ARPU, robust growth in the Homes business and resilient Africa operations. EBITDA stood at Rs 29,919 crore, with margins at 57.4 per cent, while ARPU climbed to a record Rs 256.
India revenues grew 22.6 per cent YoY, supported by premiumisation and rising smartphone data usage, with the Homes segment clocking 30.2 per cent growth. Africa revenues rose 24.2 per cent in constant currency, maintaining healthy margins. During the past year, Airtel added 12,796 towers and over 44,000 km of fibre, alongside continued 5G expansion.