Early Life and Education
Sunil Bharti Mittal was born in Ludhiana, Punjab, India, on October 23, 1957. His father, Sat Pal Mittal, was a Member of Parliament. Mittal received his education at Wynberg Allen School in Mussoorie and Scindia School in Gwalior. He graduated in 1976 from Panjab University, Chandigarh, with a bachelor's degree in economics and political science.
Rise to Success
Mittal's entrepreneurial journey started in 1976 with a small-scale manufacturing unit for bicycle parts. He later expanded into importing and distributing portable generators. However, a government ban on generator imports led him to shift his focus. In 1995, he launched Bharti Cellular Limited, offering mobile services under the brand name Airtel. This marked his entry into the telecom industry, and he is credited with pioneering the "minutes factory" model, which helped to reduce costs and expand rapidly.
Key Business Strategies
Mittal's key strategies included identifying the growth potential of the mobile telecom business early on. He formed strategic partnerships with global firms like Nokia and Ericsson, focusing on sales and customer service. Bharti Airtel's acquisition of Zain Telecom's African operations in 2010 for $10.7 billion was the largest telecom acquisition by an Indian company at the time. In 2024, Bharti Enterprises acquired a 24.5% stake in the UK's BT Group.
Philanthropy
Sunil Mittal is actively involved in philanthropy through the Bharti Foundation. The foundation focuses on education, operating numerous schools across India and providing free education to underprivileged children. In 2017, Mittal and his family committed 10% of their wealth, approximately ₹7,000 crore (about $840 million) to the Bharti Foundation.