Bharti Airtel has appointed Shashwat Sharma as the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Airtel India, marking a significant leadership transition for the telecom major’s India operations.
Shashwat has been associated with Airtel for over seven years, most recently serving as Chief Operating Officer, where he drove operational excellence and business performance across the India portfolio. Prior to that, he held key leadership roles including Director – Consumer Business & CEO DTH, and Director – Marketing & Communications, leading customer-led growth strategy, brand transformation, and corporate communications.
Earlier, as Chief Marketing & Brand Officer at Airtel, he spearheaded brand strategy and marketing innovation, strengthening Airtel’s market positioning in a highly competitive telecom landscape.
Before joining Airtel, Shashwat spent over 13 years at Hindustan Unilever Limited, where he held multiple leadership roles across sales, marketing, and category management. He led the Oral Care & Ayush businesses, managed iconic brands such as Closeup and Pepsodent, and played a pivotal role in launching Lever Ayush. His earlier assignments included leading Lakme and managing Dove, Pears, Liril, and Domestos portfolios across India and Asia, driving innovation, go-to-market strategy, and sustained revenue growth.
With deep expertise across brand building, consumer strategy, large-scale operations, and growth transformation, Shashwat Sharma’s elevation to Managing Director & CEO of Airtel India signals the company’s continued focus on customer-centric innovation, operational scale, and sustained leadership in India’s fast-evolving digital and telecom ecosystem.