Sunil Bharti Mittal Outlines 10-Year Succession Plan for Airtel Leadership

As per the PTI report, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Airtel, outlined long-term succession and ownership plans for the telecom group, including a target for promoter entity Bharti Telecom to regain majority control in the company over the next several years. 

Mittal has also been reappointed as chairman of Bharti Airtel for another 5-year term extending till September 30, 2031. 

Mittal Targets Majority Ownership for Bharti Telecom 

During Bharti Airtel’s Q4 earnings call, Mittal said his long-term objective is for Bharti Telecom to once again hold more than 50% stake in Airtel as he gradually transitions responsibilities to the next generation over the coming decade. 

Bharti Telecom currently owns 40.47% stake in Airtel, while the combined promoter holding, including Bharti Telecom, Indian Continent Investment, Singtel-linked entities and others, stands at 48.87%. 

 Mittal stated that Bharti Telecom historically maintained controlling ownership in Airtel and said he would like the promoter entity to return to “51% or just over 50%” shareholding in future. 

According to Mittal, increasing Bharti Telecom’s stake by roughly 10% would require nearly ₹1 lakh crore based on current market valuations. 

He added that the timeline for increasing ownership could span the next three to four years depending on Airtel’s financial performance, cash generation, dividend payouts and share buyback activity. 

Singtel Stake Structure and Airtel Africa Expansion 

Mittal said Singtel currently holds around 7% direct stake in Airtel and indicated that the ownership balancing gap has reduced significantly following recent transactions. 

According to him, the gap that earlier stood around 6% is expected to reduce to nearly 3.6%, limiting the amount of future stake sales required from Singtel. 

Bharti Enterprises Holding currently owns 50.56% stake in Bharti Telecom, while Singtel holds the remaining 49.44%. 

Separately, the Airtel board recently approved increasing the company’s holding in Airtel Africa from 62.73% to around 79% through a ₹28,220 crore share swap transaction involving acquisition of additional 16.31% stake. 

Mittal said Airtel should eventually aim to increase its Airtel Africa ownership closer to 90%, which is permitted under UK regulations. 

Mittal Signals Long-Term Global Expansion Strategy 

Mittal also indicated that Airtel would continue focusing on long-term growth opportunities instead of prioritising only shareholder payouts through dividends and buybacks. 

He said some IT companies became “a shadow of themselves” after focusing excessively on distributions rather than expanding into new businesses and assets. 

Mittal suggested that investors may eventually support Airtel pursuing additional telecom asset acquisitions globally if suitable opportunities emerge. 

Founded by Mittal in 1976, the Bharti Group has expanded across telecom, digital infrastructure, financial services and space communications businesses. 

Read More: Bharti Airtel Shares Rise After Approval of ₹28,220 Crore Airtel Africa Share Swap Deal! 

Bharti Airtel Share Price Performance  

As of 15 May 2026, at 9:25 AM, Bharti Airtel Ltd share price is trading at ₹1,895.50 per share, reflecting a surge of 0.64% from the previous closing price.  

Conclusion 

Sunil Bharti Mittal has laid out a long-term roadmap focused on promoter ownership consolidation, Airtel Africa expansion and future global telecom opportunities as Bharti Airtel continues scaling its operations and subscriber base. 

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