Vice-Chairman, Bharti Enterprises

Rakesh Bharti Mittal is Vice-Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, one of India’s leading business groups with interests in telecom, agri-food business, financial services, realty, and communication & media devices.

Bharti Airtel, the flagship company of Bharti Enterprises, is a global telecommunications company with operations in 18 countries across South Asia and Africa. The company ranks amongst the top three mobile operators globally and its mobile network covers a population of over two billion people. Airtel is India’s largest integrated telecom provider and the second largest mobile operator in Africa. Indus Towers, where Bharti Airtel has a stake, is a leading provider of passive telecom infrastructure in India. Bharti has joint ventures with several global leaders: Singtel, AXA, Del Monte, SoftBank, and Brightstar.

Rakesh served as the President of CII for the year 2018-19. He is the Co-Chair of the India-Uzbekistan Business Council. Rakesh is also a member of the India-UK CEO Forum, CII Australia-India Business Champions, India-Japan Business Leaders’ Forum and the India-Pakistan Joint Business Forum. He is a Life Member of Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and a Member of the Founding Circle of Centre for Social and Economic Progress. Rakesh also serves as a Member of the Governing Body of Chandigarh Centre for Performing and Visual Arts.

A passionate advocate for quality education, Rakesh is actively engaged in enhancing school and higher education through multiple roles. He is a member of the Board at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Chairman of the ISB Mohali Campus Advisory Board and Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Bharti Institute of Public Policy. Additionally, he is a Member of the Board of Trustees and the Governing Body Member at Plaksha University. Rakesh is the Co-Chairman of the Advisory Board of Bharti School of Telecommunication Technology & Management at IIT Delhi.  Rakesh has served as a Member of the All India Board of Studies for Post-Graduate Education & Research in Engineering & Technology (AIB-PGERT). Rakesh is the Chairman of the Governing Council of Sat Paul Mittal School, Chairman and Founder of Satya School and the Founder Chairman of Horizon School of Excellence.

Rakesh Bharti Mittal is a strong advocate of supporting the cause of quality education and uplifting vulnerable sections of society. He is the Co-Chairman of the group’s philanthropic arm, Bharti Foundation. The Foundation operates 173 Satya Bharti Schools reaching nearly 40,000 students. So far, it has partnered with over 25,000 governments schools under the Quality Support Program and engaged in large scale initiatives with various state governments. Through its concerted efforts, Bharti Foundation has benefitted 3 million children since its inception having reached more than 5.8 million beneficiaries including children, teachers, parents and rural communities in 18 States and UTs.

Rakesh has been awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Civil Law by Newcastle University, UK. He has served as the Honorary Consul for the Republic of Sierra Leone in India from 2014 to 2020. He is a recipient of the Udyog Ratna Award 2023 from the Panjab University, the prestigious ‘Horasis – Indian Business Leader of the Year 2016 Award’ and ‘Institute of Engineers Award 2004’. He has received the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ from S.C.D. College, Ludhiana and was recognized as a Distinguished Alumni of J.C. Bose University of Science & Technology, YMCA, Faridabad.