WORLD RICHEST MAN

SUNIL MITTAL

Sunil Bharti Mittal is an Indian telecom mogul, philanthropist and the founder, chairman
and Group CEO of Bharti Enterprises. The US$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 the son of SatPal (former MP)
and Lalita. In 2007, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honor.

Early life

Sunil Mittal was born in Ludhiana, Punjab (India). His father, Sat Pal Mittal, had been
the Member of Parliament (M.P) from Ludhiana. He first joined the Wynberg Allen School in
Mussoorie, but later attended Scindia School at Gwalior and he graduated in 1976 from Punjab
University, Chandigarh, with a Bachelor of Arts and Science for which he studied in Arya
College for Boys, a local college in Ludhiana. His father died of cardiac arrest in 1992.
Entrepreneurial ventures

A first generation entrepreneur, Mittal started his first business in April 1976 at the age of
18, with a capital investment of 20,000 (US$364) borrowed from his father. His first business
was to make crankshafts for local bicycle manufacturers.

In 1980, he along with his brothers Rakesh, Rajan started an Import Enterprise named
Bharti Overseas Trading Company. He sold his bicycle parts and yarn factories and moved to
Mumbai.

In 1984, he started assembling push-button phones in India, which he earlier used to

import from a Taiwan company, Kingtel, replacing the old fashioned, bulky rotary phones that
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, Mittal was making fax machines, cordless phones and other telecom
gear. Mittal 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." He named his first push-button
phones as 'Mitbrau'.

In 1992, he successfully bid for one of the four mobile phone network licences auctioned
in India. 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.

Personal life

Mittal resides in Delhi. He is married and has three children.

Awards and Recognition

 Transforming India Leader, NDTV Business Leader Awards 2008.

 GSMA Chairman's Award 2008.
 Padma Bhushan in 2007, from the President of India.
 Asia Businessman of the Year, Fortune Magazine 2006.
 Telecom Person of the Year, Voice & Data, 2006.
 CEO of the year 2005, at the Frost and Sullivan Asia Pacific ICT awards 2006.
 Best Asian Telecom CEO, Telecom Asia Awards 2005.
 Best CEO, India, Institutional Investor, 2005.
 Business Leader Of The Year, Economic Times, 2005.
 Philanthropist of the Year Award 2010 at The Asian Awards