Bharti Airtel board approves re-appointment of Sunil Bharti Mittal as chairman for 5 years

Bharti Airtel on Wednesday, 13 May, announced the re-appointment of Sunil Bharti Mittal as the telecom company's chairman for a period of five years with effect from 1 October 2026.

This development comes as Sunil Bharti Mittal's current term as Chairman is set to expire on 30 September 2026. Accordingly, the board has reappointed the executive for the same position from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2031.

At the same meeting, the company's board has also approved the re-appointment of Nisaba Godrej as an Independent Director for a second term of five years, effective 4 August 2026.

Both appointments remain subject to formal approval by the company's shareholders. The decisions were taken at the board meeting held on 13 May, following which the company informed stock exchanges about the reappointments in a post-market hour regulatory filing.

Leadership continuity

The company confirmed that both persons fulfil the regulatory requirements for their respective positions. The filing also disclosed that Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal is related to Non-Executive Director Rajan Bharti Mittal, his brother, in line with mandatory related-party and relationship disclosure norms.

Meanwhile, Nisaba Godrej has been confirmed as having no familial ties to any other members of the current Board of Directors.

The re-appointment announcements were made alongside the company's fourth quarter results for the fiscal year 2025-26.

Bharti Airtel's Q4 earnings and dividend announcement

Bharti Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom provider, announced its financial performance for the March quarter and fiscal year 2025-26 on Wednesday, after market hours.

The company reported a consolidated net profit of ₹7,325 crore for Q4FY26, marking a 10.5% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) increase. However, on a year-on year (YoY) basis, the company's net profit declined 33.5% compared to ₹11,021 crore reported in Q4FY25.

The drop in profit could be attributed largely to a high base in the year-ago period, when the company booked a tax credit of ₹2,892 crore. During the quarter, the company also recognised a charge of ₹3,161 crore for regulatory and government levies.

Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel's consolidated revenue from operations stood at ₹55,383 crore, marking a rise of 15.7% YoY and 2.6% on a QoQ basis. This growth is largely driven by sustained growth in India, robust performance in Africa, and strong growth in the home broadband segment.

The company also announced a final dividend of ₹24 per share for FY26. “The above final dividend, if approved by the shareholders at the ensuing Annual General Meeting (AGM), shall be credited within 30 days from the date of the AGM. The record date for determining the members entitled to receive the dividend shall be intimated in due course,” the company said in its filing.

Bharti Airtel's share price trend

The telecom company's shares settled 1.39% or ₹24.40 higher at ₹1,781.20 on Wednesday. However, it slipped 2.71% over the last five trading sessions.

Bharti Airtel's stock has been under pressure for quite some time, declining almost 5% in the last one month, and nearly 15% in the last six months. On a year-to-date basis, the company's shares are down 15.60%, while the stock has slipped 2.16% over the past one year.