Sunil Bharti Mittal Receives Honorary Doctorate from UK’s University of Bath

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman of telecom service provider Bharti Enterprises, has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration by the University of Bath, UK. The recognition celebrates his far-reaching contributions to business, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. The honour was presented at the University’s summer graduation ceremony held at the iconic Bath Abbey.

The focus of India's telecom revolution, Mittal not only built a global business in telecom, and space technology but is also celebrated for the sustained uplift of lives. While thanking him, the university talked about his commitment towards social causes especially through the educational support for 3.7 million children around the world which is indeed remarkable for the history.

During the ceremony, Professor Phil Taylor, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bath, said, “We are very proud to honour Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal’s considerable achievements in enterprise, leadership, and service to society. Not only has he built a world-leading global enterprise, but his humanitarian work has impacted the lives of over 3.7 million children through education and rural development.”

"He sends our graduating students a powerful message of the importance of giving back to society, which we hope will inspire them in their future careers. We are delighted to welcome Mr. Mittal to our alumni community, joining his son and daughter who previously graduated from our School of Management and Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences,” Taylor added.

Mittal's son and daughter, both have studied at the University of Bath; his son at the School of Management and his daughter at the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences. “This moment is made even more meaningful by the deep personal connection my family shares with the university," Mittal said while reflecting on the honour.

"Education, for me, has always been a force for transformation, uplifting communities and unlocking opportunity,” he added.

The honorary doctorate from the University of Bath is Mittal’s ninth overall and his third from a UK University. He was earlier honoured by the University of Leeds in 2009 with a Doctor of Laws and by Newcastle University in 2012 with a Doctor of Civil Law.

The University of Bath, ranked among the UK’s top ten and within the top 10 per cent globally (QS 2026), commended Mr Mittal for building a purpose-led global enterprise and inspiring the next generation of leaders.

Mittal has worked closely with top colleges in India and abroad. He has been on the boards of IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Lucknow and IIT Bombay and now leads the Chancellor’s Advisory Board at Plaksha University. He’s also on the Governing Board of the Indian School of Business.

Mittal has also actively contributed to global academic dialogue through his past roles on the Board of Dean’s Advisors at Harvard Business School, the Advisory Board of the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Global India Council at INSEAD. He currently serves on the Global Advisory Council of Harvard University.

The University of Bath’s honour also shows the strong and growing connection between India and the UK in business, innovation and education. Bharti Enterprises continues to support global partnerships built on trust, talent and real impact.