n 1980, he along with his brothers Rakesh and Rajan started an Import Enterprise named Bharti

Overseas Trading Company.[9] He sold his bicycle parts and yarn factories and moved to Mumbai.
[12]

In 1981, he purchased importing licences from exporting companies in Punjab. [11] He then

imported thousands of Suzuki Motors's portable electric-power generators from Japan. The
importing of generators was suddenly banned by the then Indian Government.
In 1984, he started assembling push-button phones in India,[11] which he earlier used to import
from a Taiwan company, Kingtel, replacing the old fashioned, bulky rotary phonesthat were in use
in the country then. Bharti Telecom Limited (BTL) was incorporated and entered into a technical
tie up with Siemens AG of Germany for manufacture of electronic push button phones. By the
early 1990s, Sunil was making fax machines, cordless phones and other telecom gear. Sunil
says, "In 1983, the government imposed a ban on the import of gensets. I was out of business
overnight. Everything I was doing came to a screeching halt. I was in trouble. The question then
was: what should I do next? Then, opportunity came calling. While in Taiwan, I noticed the
popularity of the push-button phone -- something which India hadn't seen then. We were still
using those rotary dials with no speed dials or redials. I sensed my chance and embraced the
telecom business. I started marketing telephones, answering/fax machines under the brand
name Beetel and the company picked up really fast.".[2] He named his first push-button phones as
'Mitbrau'.[9]
In 1992, he successfully bid for one of the four mobile phone network licences auctioned in India.
[2]

One of the conditions for the Delhi cellular license was that the bidder have some experience

as a telecom operator. So, Mittal clinched a deal with the French telecom group Vivendi. He was
one of the first Indian entrepreneurs to identify the mobile telecom business as a major growth
area. His plans were finally approved by the Government in 1994 [11] and he launched services
in Delhi in 1995, when Bharti Cellular Limited (BCL) was formed to offer cellular services under
the brand name AirTel. Within a few years Bharti became the first telecom company to cross the
2-million mobile subscriber mark. Bharti also brought down the STD/ISD cellular rates in India
under brand name 'Indiaone'.[11]
In May 2008, it emerged that Sunil Bharti Mittal was exploring the possibility of buying the MTN
Group, a South Africa-based telecommunications company with coverage in 21 countries
in Africa and the Middle East. The Financial Times reported that Bharti was considering offering
US$45 billion for a 100% stake in MTN, which would be the largest overseas acquisition ever by
an Indian firm. However, both sides emphasize the tentative nature of the talks, while The
Economist magazine noted, "If anything, Bharti would bemarrying up," as MTN has more
subscribers, higher revenues and broader geographic coverage.[13] However, the talks fell apart
as MTN group tried to reverse the negotiations by making Bharti almost a subsidiary of the new
company.[4] In May 2009, Bharti Airtel again confirmed that it was in talks with MTN and the
companies agreed to discuss the potential transaction exclusively by 31 July 2009. Talks

eventually ended without agreement, some sources stating that this was due to opposition from
the South African government.[14]

OCT

Inspirational Leader
ThisblogisaninspirationfromDr.Mandi'sLeadershipDevelopmentclass.
Awonderfulteacher,motivatorandonewhostimulatesthinkingandinnovationinus.
ThankYouSir
For organizations to develop they require a direction. The people who manage the business
provide the direction. Taking responsibility for making decisions and running a business well is a
skill. Management involves control and organization to get something done. In the course
of business, managers use many different skills. They are :
Plan and organize people and resources
Set and monitor budgets
Control operations or services in order to meet customers demands
My most admired leader is Sunil Bharti Mittal, an Indian telecom mogul, philanthropist and
the founder, chairman and Group CEO of Bharti Enterprises.

For a business to excel, leadership is vital. What makes great leaders? Is it their courage? Their
business acumen? Their expert knowledge? Their ability to organize? Truly great leaders have a
specific blend of skills. But they also possess something else; certain characteristics which are
harder to define.
A leader is somebody who sets the direction and inspires other people. A leader is able to
influence others in meetings or when making decisions. This helps to achieve the goals of the
organization. Enterprise has leaders at all levels of its business, not just senior management.
Sunil Bharti Mittal is the founder, chairman and group CEO of Bharti Enterprises. The USD
8.3 billion turnover company runs India's largest GSM-based mobile phone service and world's
fifth largest wireless company with over 190 million customers across 19 countries in Asia and
Africa.
He is a game-changer who dared to redefine the age-old telecom model and emerged as a winner.
His new approach of co-partnership and virtual integration are unique approaches in the telecom
sector which has seen great success. The quantum growth that Bharti AirTel has witnessed in
little more than a decade has been possible only because of the high passion and round-the-clock
alertness of Sunil Mittal to take advantage of every opportunity that came his way.

A brief history:
After graduating, Mittal borrowed $1,500 from his father and set up a bicycle parts business in
Ludhiana in his native Punjab. Aware of its limited potential, he moved to Delhi in the 1980s and
spotting a potential market, started selling imported generators, with profit margins of up to 100
per cent. As the Indian government began to lift trading restrictions in 1991, Mittal moved into
the nascent telecommunications market, supplying handsets. He was one of the first Indian
entrepreneurs to identify the mobile telecom business as a major growth area. His plans were
finally approved by the Government in 1994 and he launched services in Delhi in 1995, when
Bharti Cellular Limited (BCL) was formed to offer cellular services under the brand name AirTel.
Within a few years Bharti became the first telecom company to cross the 2-million mobile
subscriber mark.

A dreamer, an achiever
He has the knack to strike at the right place at the right time. His contribution in shaping
the modern telecom industry in India earned him the sixth place in the Forbes list of Indias 40
Richest. He is very passionate about his work. He is highly transparent, sometimes even at the
cost of having setbacks because of that. His ability to take decision at the time of uncertainties
and keeping the organizational objectives & employees aspirations as much as possible
distinguishes him from others. He had a strong and wide vision; he knew that the Indian
economy was at the threshold of becoming one of the largest emerging economies in the world.
The Bharti group launched the AirTel brand of mobile telephone service in Delhi in 1995.
Today, the AirTel brand is the biggest mobile phone brand in the country. Truly, his vision has
transformed the lives of millions across India.
These are the true qualities of a leader which I really admire. But the path that he adopted was
not a bed of roses.
The initial years of the cellular business were not as rosy as they are today. The role-out of
telecom services required a lot of initial investments and the returns were not adequate due to
the low subscriber base. With the help of private equity investors and foreign partner Singapore
Telecommunications Limited, Singapore's largest telecommunications company, he successfully
met the challenges of capital intensive role-out, cut throat competition and policy changes. He
once said Having a positive frame of mind can help overcome extremely bad situations. A
leader must always remain calm and should not take decisions under stress.

His Leadership Style

He strongly believed in giving the best in whatever we do and having faith in oneself. He adopted
a leadership style which develops its people to the level they need not have leaders to guide them.
This helped him establishing a strong connect with his employees.
He strongly believed in giving the best in whatever we do and having faith in oneself. He adopted
a leadership style which develops its people to the level they need not have leaders to guide them.
This helped him establishing a strong connect with his employees.

Bharti's "Professionally Managed, Entrepreneur Supported"

model
Responsibility towards employees

Employees are one of the most important drivers of growth and success for any
organization is its people. Sunil Mittals mantra for employee is delight focus on 5Ps.
People
Pride
Passion
Processes and
Performance
According to Sunil Mittal essentials to build a strong place in competitive market are :
Ability to take decisions amidst uncertainties
Reading customer mind and predicting the future consumption trend.
Keep your speed double to the change in market.
Alignment of organizational objectives & employees aspirations.
Quickly respond to changes in macro environment.
Build a learning organization.
Retaining talent

 Building a team by recruiting talent

Risk taker
The initial years of the cellular business were not as rosy as they are today. The role-out of
telecom services required a lot of initial investments and the returns were not adequate due to
the low subscriber base. With the help of private equity investors and foreign partner Singapore
Telecommunications Limited, Singapore's largest telecommunications company, he successfully
met the challenges of capital intensive role-out, cut throat competition and policy changes. He
once said Having a positive frame of mind can help overcome extremely bad situations. A
leader must always remain calm and should not take decisions under stress.

Mittal has also been working towards educating India through

the Bharti Foundation, which is the philanthropic arm of the
Bharti Group. The Foundation has established over 254 schools in
villages across India and offers free quality education with free
books, uniform and mid day meals to poor children. [21]