Sunil Mittal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sunil Mittal
|
|
|---|---|
Sunil Mittal in 2024
|
|
| Born | 23 October 1957 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | Punjab University |
| Occupation | Industrialist Philanthropist |
| Title | Founder & chairman Bharti Enterprises |
| Spouse(s) | Nyna Mittal |
| Children | 3 (incl. Kavin Bharti Mittal) |
| Parent(s) | Sat Pal Mittal (father) |
| Relatives | Sharan Pasricha (son-in-law) |
| Awards | Padma Bhusan Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire |
Sunil Bharti Mittal, born on October 23, 1957, is a famous Indian businessman and a kind person who helps others. He is the person who started and leads Bharti Enterprises. This company has many different businesses, including telecom, insurance, real estate, education, and hotels.
Bharti Airtel, the main company of the group, is one of the biggest telecom companies in the world. It is also the largest in India. It works in 18 countries across Asia and Africa, serving over 399 million customers. In the financial year 2023, Bharti Airtel earned over $18 billion. In 2023, Forbes magazine said he was the 10th richest person in India, with a total wealth of about $14.8 billion. By October 2024, he was ranked seventh on Forbes' list of India’s 100 richest business leaders, with a total wealth of $30.7 billion.
In 2007, Sunil Mittal received the Padma Bhushan. This is India's third-highest award for civilians. On June 15, 2016, he was chosen to be the Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Sunil Bharti Mittal was born in Ludhiana, Punjab. His father, Sat Paul Mittal, was a Member of Parliament from Ludhiana. Sunil first went to Wynberg Allen School in Mussoorie. Later, he attended Scindia School in Gwalior.
He finished his college studies in 1976 at Panjab University, Chandigarh. He earned a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree. His father passed away in 1992.
Starting His Own Businesses
Sunil Mittal is a first-generation entrepreneur. This means he started his own businesses instead of taking over a family business. He began his first business in April 1976 when he was just 18 years old. He borrowed 20,000 Indian Rupees from his father to start. His first business was making parts for bicycles.
In 1980, he and his brothers, Rakesh Mittal and Rajan Mittal, started an import company called Bharti Overseas Trading Company. He sold his bicycle parts and yarn factories and moved to Mumbai. In 1981, he bought licenses to import goods from companies in Punjab. He then imported many portable electric generators from Suzuki Motors in Japan. However, the Indian government suddenly stopped the import of generators. This meant his business was in trouble overnight.
Making Push-Button Phones
In 1984, Sunil Mittal started putting together push-button phones in India. He used to import these phones from a company in Taiwan called Kingtel. These new phones replaced the old, bulky rotary phones that people used in India. His company, Bharti Telecom Limited (BTL), worked with Siemens AG from Germany to make these electronic push-button phones.
By the early 1990s, Sunil was also making fax machines, cordless phones, and other communication devices. He named his first push-button phones 'Mitbrau'. He saw a chance to bring new technology to India and took it.
Entering the Mobile Phone World
In 1992, Sunil Mittal successfully won a license to operate one of the first four mobile phone networks in India. To get the license for Delhi, a company needed to have some experience as a telecom operator. So, Mittal made a deal with a French telecom group called Vivendi. He was one of the first Indian business leaders to see that mobile phones would be a huge area for growth.
His plans were approved by the government in 1994. In 1995, he launched mobile services in Delhi. His company, Bharti Cellular Limited (BCL), offered services under the brand name AirTel in 1997. In just a few years, Bharti became the first telecom company in India to have over 2 million mobile customers. Bharti also made long-distance and international calls cheaper in India with its 'Indiaone' brand.
Expanding Bharti Airtel
In May 2008, Sunil Bharti Mittal looked into buying the MTN Group. This is a telecom company based in South Africa that operates in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East. Bharti considered offering $45 billion to buy all of MTN. This would have been the biggest purchase by an Indian company overseas at that time. However, the talks did not lead to a deal.
In June 2010, Bharti, led by Mittal, bought the African business of Zain Telecom for $10.7 billion. This was the largest purchase ever by an Indian telecom company. In 2012, Bharti worked with Wal-Mart, a big US retail company, to open many retail stores across India.
In 2015, Sunil Mittal announced he would join the board of Oneweb, a company that plans to provide internet from space. Mittal was one of the investors who put $500 million into the company. In 2016, Mittal made changes at Bharti Airtel to help the company compete against the launch of Jio, another big telecom company in India. In 2017, Mittal announced that Bharti Airtel would stop charging for calls made and received within India, as well as for international roaming. This was a big change for customers.
Giving Back to the Community
Sunil Mittal has also been working to help educate children in India through the Bharti Foundation. This is the part of Bharti Enterprises that focuses on helping others. The Foundation has built schools in villages across India. These schools offer free, good quality education, along with free books, uniforms, and meals for poor children.
The 'Satya Bharti School Program' is the Foundation's main project. It runs 254 schools in six states, providing free education to over 45,000 children in rural areas. Other education programs by the Foundation help over 350,000 children in 11 states. The 'Satya Bharti Abhiyan' program also helps with sanitation.
In 2017, the Bharti Family promised 10% of their wealth, which was about 70 billion Indian Rupees, to help others. They used this money to set up Satya Bharti University. This is a world-class university that offers education to young people from families who do not have much money.
Sunil Mittal has been married to Nyna Mittal for many years. She also helps others, especially with education. They have one daughter and two sons, who are twins born on August 31, 1987. Their daughter, Eiesha Bharti Pasricha, lives in London with her husband, Sharan Pasricha, and their two children. One son, Kavin Bharti Mittal, is a businessman who started Hike Messenger. Their other son, Shravin Bharti Mittal, started Unbound, a company in London that invests in other businesses. He also helped with the successful purchase of OneWeb.
Awards and Special Recognition
Sunil Mittal has received many awards for his work and contributions:
- Padma Bhushan, from the Government of India, 2007
- Transforming India Leader, NDTV Business Leader Awards
- GSM Association's Chairman's Award, 2008
- Asia Businessman of the Year, Fortune Magazine, 2006
- Telecom Person of the Year, Voice & Data magazine (India), 2006
- CEO of the Year, Frost and Sullivan Asia Pacific ICT awards, 2006
- CEO of the Year, 2005–06, Business Standard
- Best Asian Telecom CEO, Telecom Asia Awards, 2005
- Best C.E.O, India, Institutional Investor, 2005
- Business Leader of the Year, Economic Times, 2005
- Philanthropist of the Year Award, The Asian Awards, 2010
- INSEAD Business Leader Award, 2011
- Honorary Doctorate of Sciences (D.Sc.) Degree, Amity University Gurgaon, 2016
- Honorary Doctorate of Sciences (D.Sc.) Degree, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Katra, J&K, 2018
- Doctor Honoris Causa, ESCP Business School, ESCP Europe, Paris, 2018
- Global Mobile Industry Honours Sunil Bharti Mittal for his contributions to the Global Mobile Industry as Chairman of the GSMA Board, 2019
- Business Leader of the Year at The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence 2022
- Appointed Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 2024 Special Honours. This was for helping to make business ties stronger between India and the UK.
Important Roles and Groups
Sunil Mittal has been part of many important groups and organizations:
- Chairman, GSM Association, 2017–19
- Honorary Chairman, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
- Member, Telecom Board of International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a leading UN agency for technology
- Commissioner, Broadband Commission for Sustainable Digital Development at ITU
- Chair, World Economic Forum's Telecommunications Steering Committee
- Member, International Business Council, World Economic Forum
- Member, Board of Directors, Qatar Foundation Endowment
- President, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) (2007–2008)
- Co-chairman, Annual Meeting, World Economic Forum, Davos (2007)
Academic Connections
He has also been involved with several universities:
- Member, Global Advisory Council, Harvard University
- Member, Vice Chancellor’s Circle of Advisors on India, University of Cambridge
- Member, Board of Dean Advisors, Harvard Business School (2010–2019)
- Member, Governing Body, London Business School (2010–2013)
Global Trade Efforts
Sunil Mittal has helped with global trade discussions:
- Co-Chair, Trade & Investment Development Task Force, B20 Argentina (2018)
- Co-Chair, Trade & Investment Development Task Force, B20 Germany (2017)
- Co-Chair, SME Development Taskforce, B20 China (2016)
