In business
The group's flagship, Bharti AirTel, India's leading telecom services provider, has a strong nationwide presence and leadership in mobile communications (India's largest mobile service operator), fixed line services, long distance and broadband services.

As entrepreneur
Mittal started his career at 18 after graduating from Punjab University in India and founded Bharti in 1976. Today, at 48 he heads a 'top 10' business enterprise in India with a market capitalisation of over $15 billion, employing over 30,000 people.

Bharti has grown successfully in partnership with various global leaders like Singapore Telecom, Vodafone, Warburg Pincus, British Telecom to name a few.

The other businesses in the group are 'Beetel' telephone sets, life insurance venture with AXA of France, and FieldFresh Foods — a joint venture with the Rothschild group to develop Indian horticulture and export fruits and vegetables to the world.

Bharti is the first Indian company to operate telecom services outside India in Seychelles in 1998 and has also been awarded a license in 2006 to operate comprehensive telecom services in Jersey.

Other accomplishments
Mittal is the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Seychelles in New Delhi, India. He has been nominated to serve on several distinguished boards, committees and councils:

• Prime minister's council on trade and industry
• Prime minister's task force for economic and social development of Jammu & Kashmir
• National council and steering committee of Confederation of Indian Industry
• Co-chairman, Indo-British Partnership
• Board of Global GSM Association "International Enterprise Singapore", a statutory board under ministry of trade and industry, government of Singapore
• Singapore-India Partnership Foundation
• Deputy chairman, organising committee of Commonwealth Games, Delhi 2010
• Boards of governors of Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow
• Boards of governors Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai
• International advisory board of "Centre for the Advanced Study of India", University of Pennsylvania
• Co-chairman Bharti School of Telecommunications Technology and Management, a postgraduate school of IIT, Delhi
• INSEAD Global India Council

Recognitions

• Business Leader of the Year, 2005 – The Economic Times
• Best Asian Telecom CEO, 2005 – Telecom Asia
• India's Best People CEO, 2004 – Hewitt Associates
• Asia Pacific CEO of Year, 2004 – Frost & Sullivan
• Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, 2004
• Businessman of the Year, 2002 – Business India
• CEO of the Year, 2002 – World HRD Congress
• Star of Asia for the Year 2001 – Business Week

Recognitions for Bharti

• 2nd "Best Telecom Company" in Asia – Euromoney, year 2003
• 2nd "Best Employer" – Hewitt Associates and CNBC TV 18, year 2004
• Enters Forbes A-List Featuring 400 of "The World's Best Big Companies", year 2004
• India's "Best Managed Company" – Asiamoney, year 2004
• Joins "Global 1000 – the World's Most Valuable Companies" of Business Week – July 2004
• "The Emerging Company of the Year" – The Economic Times, year 2004
• "One of the top twenty technology companies in the World" – Business Week, year 2005
• "Best GSM Carrier" and "Best Indian Carrier", Telecom Asia, year 2005