Bharti Group – A Success Story

The Bharti Group, a USD 6 billion multi-national conglomerate, has evolved from being a manufacturer in the late 1970s to a diversified business house with interests in telecom, insurance, retail and agriculture. The group headed by Sunil Mittal established itself as a crankshaft manufacturer in Ludhiana to service the bicycle industry operating in that region. The scale of the business was small but provided Mittal with experience of running an entrepreneurial set up. He firmly believed that innovation is the key to increasing market share and generating revenues. This constant craving for launching innovative products in the Indian market marked Sunil’s first tryst with the telecom industry. His timely foray into the ever evolving telecom segment and conducive market conditions helped him establish his telecom empire in India.

Although the Bharti Group was not amongst the first few companies venturing into the telecom sector, they out-powered established business houses such as Reliance and Tata by launching India’s first cellar service under the brand name ‘Airtel’. The company was one of the first to launch a plethora of services in the cellular telecom space as well. Bharti grew its business through partnerships (nationally & internationally) with various companies providing the group the much needed technical expertise and also enabled the firm to operate efficiently. The success of the Bharti Group was not limited to the telecom segment. Sunil diversified into other businesses like insurance, retail and agro-retail by identifying suitable partners in foreign entities taking advantage of the liberal FDI policies governing these sectors. This trait was considered to be a significant contributor to the Group’s success. The strategy highlights indicate that for diversification, Bharti adopted best industry practises like venturing into high growth government backed verticals, partnering with domain experts and hiring experienced employees working in the industries where the group intended to establish its businesses.

The Bharti Group is now one of India’s most respectable and professionally managed business houses. Under the able guidance of Sunil Mittal, Bharti Group has achieved the status of a global conglomerate through differentiation of services and innovation.