Sunil Mittal
Indian telecoms entrepreneur; founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises
| Sunil Bharti Mittal
| |
|---|---|
| Image | .jpg) Mittal at the World Economic Forum, Davos, January 2013 |
| Born | 23 October 1957 (Forbes) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Residence | Delhi (Forbes) |
| Occupation | Chairman, Bharti Enterprises |
| Known for | Bharti Airtel; OneWeb; 24.5% stake in BT Group |
| Children | 3, including Shravin Bharti Mittal (Forbes) |
Sunil Bharti Mittal (born 23 October 1957) is an Indian businessman. He chairs Bharti Enterprises, whose companies include the mobile operator Bharti Airtel.[1][2] In 2024 Bharti's international arm, Bharti Global, bought 24.5% of BT Group from Altice UK. The UK government cleared the deal under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 on condition that BT set up a National Security Committee.[2][3] On 10 November 2026 the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list ranked Mittal 194th in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$14.8 billion; Forbes lists the source of wealth as telecom.[1][4] In the annual World's Billionaires list published in 2026, Forbes had ranked Mittal 204th, at US$14.2 billion.[5] In 2024 Mittal was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) for advancing UK–India business relations.[6]
Bharti and Airtel
Forbes says Bharti began in 1976 as a maker of bicycle parts.[1] The sources give different customer figures for Airtel. Forbes's 2026 billionaires profile says more than 500 million customers across South Asia and Africa, and its real-time profile says more than 600 million. Bharti's August 2024 release gave over 550 million in 17 countries.[1][2] Forbes names SingTel as Airtel's partner and Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea as its competitors.[1] In 2022 Google announced a US$1 billion investment in Airtel, US$700 million of it for a minority stake. In March 2024 GQG Partners bought a US$713 million stake in Airtel from SingTel.[1] Airtel Africa listed in London in 2019 and is in the FTSE 100.[6][2]
Bharti Global, OneWeb and BT
Forbes says Bharti Global, run by Mittal's son Shravin, invested in the UK satellite company OneWeb. In 2022 Mittal agreed to merge it with Eutelsat at a US$3.4 billion valuation for OneWeb; Bharti says the merger completed in 2023.[1][2] Bharti also says that through Norlake Hospitality it owns hotels including The Hoxton and the Gleneagles resort in Scotland.[2] On 12 August 2024 Bharti agreed to buy about 24.5% of BT from Altice UK through Bharti Televentures UK Ltd.[2] Bharti recalled that BT had held 21% of Bharti Airtel, with two board seats, from 1997 to 2001. It said the investment "aims to support the commitment of our Hon'ble Prime Minister" to broader India–UK ties.[2] The Hindu (PTI) put the price at about US$4 billion, making Bharti BT's largest shareholder.[7] The government's final order records that Bharti bought 9.99% on 12 August 2024 and 14.51% on 18 November 2024. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster approved the deal on condition that BT set up a National Security Committee to oversee work affecting UK national security, citing BT's role as a strategic supplier to many parts of government. The order took effect on 16 December 2024.[3] Forbes says Mittal holds a seat on the BT board.[1]
Honours and UK links
Business Standard reported in February 2024 that Mittal was the first Indian citizen to receive an honorary KBE under Charles III. It noted his membership of the India-UK CEO Forum, past service on the governing body of the London Business School, membership of the India Advisory Group at the London School of Economics, and a place on the Vice-Chancellor's Circle of Advisors at the University of Cambridge.[6] He received the Padma Bhushan in 2007.[6]
Philanthropy
Forbes says Mittal and his two siblings have pledged US$1.1 billion to their charitable foundation, mainly to set up a university offering free education to the poor.[1]
Wealth
Forbes classes Mittal as self-made, with wealth from telecoms.[1]
Wealth history
Forbes has included this entry in its annual World's Billionaires list in 4 of the editions from 2001 to 2026 checked for this profile, starting with 2023. The table gives the rank and estimated net worth in each annual list.[5][1]
| Year | World's Billionaires rank | Net worth (US$ bn) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 418 | 6.1 |
| 2024 | 266 | 9.2 |
| 2025 | 195 | 12.1 |
| 2026 | 204 | 14.2 |
Political activity
Bharti's release presented the BT investment as supporting the Indian Prime Minister's aim of broadening India–UK ties. It also cited the UK-India Technology Security Initiative announced during Foreign Secretary David Lammy's visit to India.[2]
International and political links
This section uses the same ten headings for every profile in this series. Only specific, sourced actions are included; company-level and foundation-level actions are labelled as such. Where nothing was found, the entry reads "No documented involvement found in sources checked."
Israel (investments, operations, donations, contracts, statements)
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Zionist or pro-Israel organisations and lobbying groups
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Jewish communal charities
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Gulf states
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
China
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Russia
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
India
Bharti framed its 2024 BT investment as supporting the Indian Prime Minister's vision for India–UK ties.[2]
Palestinian or Arab causes
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Home government
United Kingdom: Bharti holds 24.5% of BT, cleared subject to a national-security condition. Mittal is an honorary KBE, and Bharti Global has invested in OneWeb and UK hotels.[3][6][2]
Other international links
Singapore: SingTel is Airtel's long-standing partner and sold part of its stake to GQG in 2024. Africa: Airtel Africa operates there. France: OneWeb merged with Eutelsat.[1][2]
See also
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Forbes, Forbes profile record for Sunil Mittal (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/sunil-mittal-1/) Forbes, live record, read 10 November 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Bharti Enterprises, Bharti makes a strategic investment in UK BT Group plc Bharti Enterprises (press release), 12 August 2024, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cabinet Office, Acquisition of 24.5% of the issued share capital in BT Group plc by Bharti Televentures UK Limited: notice of final order GOV.UK, 16 December 2024, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ Forbes, Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data feed Forbes, live; downloaded 10 November 2026 20:12 UTC, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Forbes, Forbes World's Billionaires list data feed, annual editions 2001–2026 (one file per year at this path with the year substituted; all 26 files downloaded and read) Forbes, annual lists; downloaded 20 October 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Subhayan Chakraborty, Sunil Bharti Mittal conferred honorary knighthood by King Charles III Business Standard, 28 February 2024, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ Press Trust of India, Bharti Global completes acquisition of 24.5% of BT Group from Altice UK The Hindu, 18 November 2024, accessed 10 November 2026.