Bharti Airtel announces leadership changes, capital call, and Singtel agreement amendment

Bharti Airtel's board of directors approved key leadership appointments effective January 1, 2026. Gopal Vittal will become executive vice chairman for a five-year term. Shashwat Sharma, currently CEO designate, will become the managing director and CEO (Airtel India) and key managerial personnel for five years. Soumen Ray has been appointed group chief financial officer, while Akhil Garg will assume the role of chief financial officer (Airtel India) and key managerial personnel. Rohit Krishan Puri will take on the role of company secretary and compliance officer.

Concurrently, the board approved a first and final call of INR 401.25 per share (including a premium of INR 397.50) on 392,287,662 partly paid-up equity shares. The record date is February 6, 2026, with the payment period from March 2 to March 16, 2026. Trading in partly paid-up equity shares will be suspended from February 6, 2026. Proceeds from the call will primarily be used for pre-payment or repayment of borrowings and general corporate purposes, aiming for India operations to become net debt-free in the near term.

Additionally, Bharti Airtel and Singtel have amended their existing shareholders' agreement to align with current business requirements and governance standards. Key changes include Singtel relinquishing several reserved rights and other revisions for clarity and governance, without impacting the company's management or control.