London: Bharti Enterprises Founder and Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal on Wednesday turned the primary Indian citizen to be conferred an honorary Knighthood by Britain’s King Charles III “for services to UK and India business relations”. Mittal obtained a KBE below the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire – one of many highest honours conferred by a British monarch.
The 66-year-old entrepreneur mentioned in a press release that he was “deeply humbled” by the gracious recognition from King Charles. “The UK and India have historical relations, which are now entering a new era of increased cooperation and collaboration. I remain committed to working towards strengthening the economic and bilateral trade relationships between our two great nations,” Mittal mentioned.
“I am thankful to the government of the UK, whose support and keen attention to the needs of business has been critical in making the country an attractive investment destination,” he added. The KBE, conferred for a pre-eminent contribution in any subject of exercise, is awarded in an honorary capability to overseas nationals.
Mittal’s contribution in India-UK cooperation
The Knighthood conferred on UK nationals provides them the title of Sir or Dame, and non-UK nationals awarded the honour get KBE (or DBE for girls) after their title. Previous Indian recipients of the Honorary KBE embody Ratan Tata (2009), Ravi Shankar (2001) and Jamshed Irani (1997), conferred by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Sunil Bharti Mittal led the revival of OneWeb (now Eutelsat), main a consortium with the UK authorities and different strategic traders to supply satellite tv for pc broadband companies globally, an organization assertion notes. Mittal has a powerful reference to the UK, as a member of the India-UK CEO Forum and has beforehand been awarded the Honorary Doctor of Civil Law from Newcastle University and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Leeds.
He can also be a member of the Vice Chancellor’s Circle of Advisors on the University of Cambridge. Additionally, Sunil Bharti Mittal has served on the Governing Body of the London Business School (LBS) and as a Member of the India Advisory Group on the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). In 2019, Bharti’s Airtel Africa was listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE100 Index.
The investiture ceremony shall be performed by the British High Commissioner to India at a later date, when he’ll formally hand over the royal insignia to Mittal. The honour recognises Bharti Enterprises’ work throughout the India-UK area, together with with the UK authorities within the subject of satellites.
(with PTI inputs)
