Bharti Airtel's founder and Chairman, Sunil Bharti Mittal, delivered a compelling address at the prestigious Hindustan Times Leadership Summit (HTLS) 2025 on Saturday, December 6. In a session moderated by former G20 Sherpa and ex-CEO of NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant, Mittal shared pivotal moments from his entrepreneurial journey, including a specific advertisement that he credited with changing the trajectory of his telecom giant.
HTLS 2025: A Gathering of Global and National Luminaries
The summit, one of the flagship events of the Hindustan Times Group, is currently underway with the powerful theme of "Transforming Tomorrow." This theme is designed to reflect the current era's focus on innovation, resilience, and strategic reinvention across sectors.
The speaker lineup for December 6 was notably stellar, featuring a blend of political leadership, corporate visionaries, sports personalities, and international experts. Key figures included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
Other prominent speakers were Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Indian women's cricket team coach Amol Muzumdar, cricketer Deepti Sharma, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, and Delhi CM Rekha Gupta. The international and cross-domain perspective was provided by figures like economist Prof. James K. Galbraith, analyst Michael Kugelman, academic Kate Sullivan de Estrada, Google DeepMind executive Pushmeet Kohli, and actors Aamir Khan and Hugh Grant.
Sunil Mittal's Candid Conversation with Amitabh Kant
The session featuring Sunil Mittal became a highlight, offering deep insights into the building of one of India's most successful telecom enterprises. In a dialogue with the seasoned policymaker and strategist Amitabh Kant, Mittal delved into the challenges and triumphs of his career.
A central anecdote of his talk revolved around a particular advertisement campaign that Mittal identified as a watershed moment for Bharti Airtel. While the exact details of the ad were not elaborated in the initial report, its significance was underscored as a game-changing strategic move that altered public perception and catalyzed the company's growth in a highly competitive market.
Impact and the Spirit of "Transforming Tomorrow"
Mittal's revelations at the summit perfectly embodied the event's core theme. His story of identifying a critical lever—in this case, impactful communication—to transform his company's future serves as a practical case study in business leadership and reinvention.
The Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2025, through such conversations, aims to provide a platform where experiences from diverse fields—governance, business, sports, and arts—converge to chart a course for future progress. The participation of leaders like Sunil Mittal ensures that the discourse is grounded in real-world, monumental successes and the strategic decisions behind them.
