25th Mar 2026 09:47
(Alliance News) - Airtel Africa PLC on Wednesday said Gopal Vittal will replace Chair Sunil Bharti Mittal, who will step down after the company's annual general meeting in July.
The telecommunications firm is based in London but operates primarily in Africa. Its shares rose 0.1% to 361.34 pence on Wednesday morning in London.
Airtel Africa has appointed Gopal Vittal to take over as non-executive chair, immediately following the AGM, and has named Shravin Bharti Mittal as deputy chair.
Shravin Bharti Mittal is the son of Sunil Bharti Mittal and the managing director of Bharti Global Ltd, the Bharti family's investment vehicle. Airtel Africa is majority-owned by Bharti Airtel Ltd.
It said that Shravin Bharti Mittal's appointment "will ensure continuity with the founding family and significant shareholder, and will be the board's conduit with the Airtel Money board, on which he serves, and with Airtel Africa's headquarters in Dubai, where he is based."
Back in January, Airtel Africa had said it was on track for an initial public offering of its financial services business, Airtel Money, in the first half of 2026.
As for Vittal, who has served on Airtel Africa's board since October 2024, the company acknowledged that he will not be an independent director under the UK Corporate Governance Code.
Airtel Africa hailed Vittal as "an established telecoms leader who led Bharti Airtel to a life-time high revenue market share in an intensely competitive market".
His appointment "is by nomination of the controlling shareholder", as per the relationship agreement between Airtel Africa, Bharti Airtel, Airtel Africa Mauritius Ltd, the majority shareholder and an indirect subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, and Bharti Telecom.
Outgoing Chair Sunil Bharti Mittal on Wednesday also noted that Annika Poutiainen is stepping down as a non-executive director, and thanked her for her time at the company as "a strong advocate of high standards of governance and financial reporting."
"At the same time, I want to extend my thanks to the board of Airtel Africa for their support to me as chairman," Mittal said.
He has helmed the board since 2018, and occupies 204th place on Forbes Magazine's 2026 billionaires list, with the publication naming him India's fourth-richest person in 2025.
Mittal continued: "Airtel Africa has a solid strategy and an outstanding leadership team in place, the strength of which is evident in recent results, so I am confident that now is the time for me to step aside as chair. It has been an honour to lead Airtel Africa in this capacity, and I know the company will continue to prosper... I have offered my services and will be available to support the company as requested by the chair."
Senior Independent Director Tsega Gebreyes praised the outgoing chair as "a titan of the global telecommunications industry," adding: "I am grateful that Sunil has agreed to be available to support Airtel Africa as the need arises."
The company's financial 2026 results are due on May 8.
By Holly Munks, Alliance News reporter
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