Bharti Airtel’s Gopal Vittal Takes Over As GSMA Chairman

Bharti Airtel Vice Chairman and Managing Director Gopal Vittal has been elected chairman of the GSM Association (GSMA) until the end of 2026.

Vittal began his career in 1990 with Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), handling national and global roles for two decades. At HUL, he led Project Bharat, a rural-reach strategy. In 2006, he joined Bharti Airtel to build its central marketing function. He played a key role in Airtel’s expansion, overseeing subscriber growth from 33 million to 122 million. As MD & CEO, he leads business strategy and operations. Previously, he was the Group Director of Special Projects, focusing on Airtel’s international strategy and data expansion. Vittal completed his undergraduate studies at Madras Christian College and earned a postgraduate diploma in management from IIM Calcutta.