Sunil Bharti Mittal to receive France’s highest civilian honour from Macron

New Delhi: Bharti Airtel founder and chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal on Monday was named a Chevalier de l’Ordre national de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour) by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron.

The insignia will be conferred at a ceremony to be held on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, at the Ambassade de France (Embassy of France in India), New Delhi.

The honour recognises Mittal's contributions to strengthening economic ties between France and India as well as his achievements in the telecommunications and digital infrastructure and satellite communications space.


In a statement, Mittal said he is moved and humbled by the gracious award from the Republic of France.

"My association with France began at Airtel’s inception in 1992, when Compagnie Générale des Eaux joined hands with Bharti to introduce mobile telephony in India. It continues today through my role as Co-Chairman of Eutelsat, the European satellite champion," he said.

"I accept this honour with gratitude to the President of the French Republic, H.E. Mr. Emmamuel Macron and with a renewed commitment to further deepen the economic ties between India and France," Mittal added.

Mittal has had longstanding ties with the French republic. He served as Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce, a French-domiciled institution with a global mandate, underscoring his engagement with international business and multilateral cooperation from 2016 to 2018. He has also served as the honorary chairman of the chamber from 2018 to 2020.

"Sunil Bharti Mittal has been a friend of France for more than thirty years, since the early days of Airtel in 1992. He has unflaggingly nurtured these ties over the decades, and shown what French and Indian business endeavours can achieve together. Today he advances these relations as Vice-Chairman of Eutelsat, at a time when our two countries are moving forward jointly in space and digital technology. In awarding him the Légion d’honneur, the President of the Republic recognises an outstanding business leader who has contributed to making France a lasting partner in India," French Ambassador Thierry Mathou said in a statement.

Mittal has further received honorary awards from France including a Doctor Honoris Causa from ESCP Business School, Paris, and INSEAD’s Business Leader for the World Award. He was a member of INSEAD’s Global India Council and served on the International Advisory Committee to the Board of Directors of NYSE Euronext, which included Euronext Paris.

Presently, Mittal is the Co-Chairman of Eutelsat with Bharti Enterprises participating in a capital raise of the satcom provider becoming the largest private shareholder in the company in November 2025 with a 17.88% holding.

In 2024, Mittal became the first Indian to receive the honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire from King Charles III.

Mittal was also awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian awards in 2007.