Sunil Mittal to retire as Chair of Airtel Africa in July 2026; Gopal Vittal appointed Non-Executive Chair

Exam-focused facts from the 27 March 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Sunil Bharti Mittal will retire as Chair of Airtel Africa Board at the conclusion of the July 2026 AGM after serving since the company’s 2019 listing.
Gopal Vittal will become Non-Executive Chair of Airtel Africa from the same date, nominated by the controlling shareholder under the 17 June 2019 relationship agreement.
Shravin Bharti Mittal will assume the role of Deputy Chair of Airtel Africa from July 2026 and will liaise with the Airtel Money Board and the Dubai headquarters.
Annika Poutiainen will also retire as a Non-Executive Director at the July 2026 AGM, having served over seven years.
Gopal Vittal is currently Executive Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel and Board Chair of the GSMA, and was appointed a non-executive director of Airtel Africa in October 2024.