Bharti Airtel Appoints PK Sinha, Shyamal Mukherjee As Independent Directors

Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Tuesday announced the appointment of former cabinet secretary PK Sinha, and former PwC India head Shyamal Mukherjee as independent directors on its board.

The appointments are subject to approval by shareholders at Airtel's upcoming Annual General Meeting, the company said in a regulatory filing.

PK Sinha served as the cabinet secretary for more than four years before moving to the Prime Minister's Office. He retired from there in March 2021.

He has been a government nominee director in numerous major public sector undertakings and is well versed with the principles of healthy corporate governance, Airtel said.

Shyamal Mukherjee is the former Chairman and Senior Partner of PwC lndia and was at the forefront of making PwC a future-ready firm.

Mukherjee began his professional journey with PWC in 1984 and became a partner in 1993. He held several leadership roles at PwC India, including Brand and Strategy leader and Leader of India Tax practice. He also serves as an Independent Director on the board of ITC Ltd. and a member of its audit committee.

The company added that Manish Kejriwal, Lead Independent Director, would be retiring on Sept. 25, 2022, on completion of his second tenure.

Shishir Priyadarshi would be leaving the board with effect from Oct. 31, 2022, to devote time to his other professional commitments.

DK Mittal would be designated as Lead Independent Director with effect from Sept. 26, 2022, the company said.

Commenting on the appointments, Sunil Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Airtel said: "Airtel takes pride in having one of the most distinguished Board of Directors that is committed to high standards of corporate governance."

These appointments are made with a long term view - to make the board future-ready, address the long term requirements of the company and ensure a smooth transition in key board positions, he added.

"On behalf of the Board, I welcome PK Sinha and Shyamal Mukherjee and their valuable experience will add immense value to Airtel's growth journey," Mittal further said.

In a separate filing, Airtel said that its board has approved re-appointment of Gopal Vittal, Managing Director and CEO for a further period of five years, that is, from Feb. 1, 2023 to Jan. 31, 2028.

This is based on the recommendations of HR and Nomination Committee and subject to the approval of shareholders, the filing added.