He is the founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, which has diversified interests in telecom, insurance, real estate, education, malls, hospitality, Agri and food besides other ventures.

[3] In October 2024, Sunil Mittal was ranked seventh on Forbes list of India’s 100 richest tycoons, with a net worth of $30.7 billion.

[7] His father, Sat Pal Mittal, had been a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (Indian National Congress) from Ludhiana, Punjab.

[1] A first-generation entrepreneur, Sunil started his first business in April 1976[10] at the age of 18, with a capital investment of ₹20,000 (US$230) borrowed from his father.

Bharti Telecom Limited (BTL) was incorporated and entered into a technical tie up with Siemens AG of Germany for the manufacture of electronic push button phones.

[10] In May 2008, it emerged that Sunil Bharti Mittal was exploring the possibility of buying the MTN Group, a South Africa-based telecommunications company with coverage in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East.

The Financial Times reported that Bharti was considering offering US$45 billion for a 100% stake in MTN, which would be the largest overseas acquisition ever by an Indian firm.

However, both sides emphasize the tentative nature of the talks, while The Economist magazine noted, "If anything, Bharti would be marrying up," as MTN has more subscribers, higher revenues and broader geographic coverage.

[13] In May 2009, Bharti Airtel again confirmed that it was in talks with MTN and the companies agreed to discuss the potential transaction exclusively by 31 July 2009.

Talks eventually ended without agreement, some sources stating that this was due to opposition from the South African government.

[22] In 2013, Mittal was ordered to appear before a special Delhi court[22] to answer questions about the additional allocation of airwaves to certain companies.

Allegations against Mittal state that there had been collusion with key telecoms officials in the government to illegally secure an extra spectrum.

The other educational initiatives including the – Satya Bharti School, Quality Support and Learning Centre Programs, are currently reaching out to over 350,000 underprivileged children in 11 states.

Rs 70 billion) towards Philanthropy to set up Satya Bharti University, a world-class University to offer education to deserving youth from economically weaker sections of society Mittal has been married "for decades" to Nyna Mittal, a philanthropist who focuses on education.

[33][34] One son, Kavin Bharti Mittal, is an entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Hike, a New Delhi-headquartered tech and internet startup.