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Airtel discloses FY26 pay: Gopal Vittal at Rs 21.73 crore, Shashwat Sharma at Rs 1.88 crore
Airtel’s annual report shows Sunil Bharti Mittal remained the highest-paid executive with Rs 33.34 crore remuneration
MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel’s FY2025-26 annual report has revealed the remuneration of its top executives following the company’s leadership transition, with executive vice chairman Gopal Vittal receiving Rs 21.73 crore during the year and newly appointed managing director and chief executive officer of Airtel India Shashwat Sharma earning Rs 1.88 crore after taking charge on January 1, 2026.
Vittal’s total remuneration increased 7.32 per cent year-on-year to Rs 21.73 crore, equivalent to 248.72 times the median remuneration of Airtel employees.
His compensation comprised Rs 13.02 crore in salary and allowances, Rs 8.70 crore as performance-linked incentive and Rs 6,720 in perquisites.
The annual report also disclosed that Vittal was granted 148,275 stock options under the company’s Employee Stock Option Scheme 2005 and Long-Term Incentive Plans. However, his reported remuneration excludes the Rs 80.23 crore perquisite value arising from stock options exercised during FY26.
Sharma, who assumed charge as managing director and chief executive officer of Airtel India on January 1, 2026, received Rs 1.88 crore for the final three months of the financial year.
His remuneration included Rs 1.38 crore in salary and allowances, Rs 49.73 lakh as performance-linked incentive and Rs 11,580 in perquisites.
The company noted that Sharma’s remuneration covered only the period between January 1 and March 31, 2026, making year-on-year comparisons not meaningful. No stock options were granted to or exercised by him during this period.
Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal remained Airtel’s highest-paid executive, receiving Rs 33.34 crore during FY26. His remuneration included Rs 21.57 crore in salary and allowances, Rs 7.50 crore as performance-linked incentive and Rs 4.27 crore in perquisites. The report added that Mittal also receives remuneration from Airtel’s overseas subsidiary, Network i2i (UK) Limited, which is disclosed separately.
The annual report said Airtel continues to maintain a performance-linked remuneration structure for executive directors, with incentives accrued at 100 per cent performance and final payouts determined based on approved performance parameters.
It also stated that employment contracts are in place for Mittal, Vittal and Sharma, with no severance fee payable under the terms of their agreements.
The disclosures come after Airtel completed its planned leadership transition, elevating Vittal to executive vice chairman while Sharma took over operational leadership of the India business from the beginning of 2026.
