Bharti nominees Sunil Bharti Mittal and Gopal Vittal join BT board under new shareholder agreement
Relationship agreement gives Bharti the right to nominate two directors while it holds at least 20% of BT; appointments are non-independent, non-executive
BT Group said on Monday that Indian billionaire Sunil Bharti Mittal and Gopal Vittal, vice chairman and managing director of Bharti Airtel, will join its board as non-independent, non-executive directors under a new relationship agreement with the telecoms group's largest shareholder.
Bharti Enterprises, which bought the stake held by French investor Patrick Drahi last year, now owns roughly a quarter of BT shares and, under the deal, Bharti Global has the right to nominate two directors to BT’s board while it holds at least 20% of the company. If its holding falls below 20% but remains above 10%, the agreement allows Bharti to nominate one director.
BT chairman Adam Crozier said the appointments would bring “significant experience and global perspectives in the telecoms industry.” The company described both men as non-independent, non-executive directors, a status that indicates they will represent a major shareholder rather than be classified as independent board members.
Sunil Bharti Mittal said he was “delighted to be joining the board of BT, an iconic company delivering critical infrastructure and services for the UK,” and that he looked forward to working with Crozier and chief executive Allison Kirkby “to drive forward the strategy to win in the market and deliver world-leading services for BT’s customers.”
Gopal Vittal said he expected to draw on his experience at Airtel to “help support BT, whose unique assets and businesses offer valuable opportunities for growth,” and added that Airtel and BT had “much to learn from and contribute to each other.”
BT shares fell 3.1% in early trading to 198.7p on Monday, the company said, though the stock has risen more than 35% since the start of 2025. The announcement formalises the relationship between BT and its largest shareholder following Bharti’s purchase of Drahi’s stake last year.
Under the terms disclosed by BT, Bharti Global’s nomination rights will remain in place for as long as the organisation holds at least 20% of BT. The concession to nominate one director if its stake is between 10% and 20% was also set out in the agreement.
The appointments come as BT continues to implement strategic plans under CEO Allison Kirkby and pursue investments in network infrastructure and services. The company said the new members would bring “global perspectives in the telecoms industry,” but provided no further detail on committee assignments or specific responsibilities on the board.
The deal and nominations were announced on 15 September 2025 and reflect the formalisation of governance arrangements between BT and its largest shareholder following last year’s change in substantial ownership.