Airtel Searches For Successor As Akhil Gupta Retires As Director
Airtel Africa Plc has begun search for a successor after long-time strategist and Non Executive Director, Akhil Gupta bows out in July this year.
Airtel Africa disclosed the exit of Gupta in a regulatory filing on Nigerian Exchange Limited and London Stock Exchange on Tuesday.
Gupta played a crucial role in shaping Airtel Africa’s strategic direction from its early expansion into the continent in 2010 to its successful listing on the London Stock Exchange in 2019.
The company also listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange now NGX in 2019.
The company said Gupta has informed it of his intention to retire as a non-executive director of Airtel Africa plc at the conclusion of this year’s AGM in July 2025.
Airtel expressed its gratitude to him for his contribution during his tenure and wished him success in his future endeavours.
Airtel Chairman, Sunil Bharti Mittal said, “On behalf of the Board, I would like express my gratitude to Akhil for his dedicated service and invaluable contributions to the Airtel Africa story, from its acquisition in 2010, through to its listing in 2019 and to where we are today.
“His commitment has been instrumental in guiding us through numerous challenges and achievements.”
Since its incorporation and listing on NGX, Airtel has expanded to 14 African countries.
Based on the company’s books, Airtel returned to profitability after a recent tariff hike approved by the federal government aided the telco to post $328m profit, a 468 per cent surge.
In Q4 2025, revenue rose by 21.1 per cent to $4.95bn in constant currency but fell by 0.5 per cent from $4.97bn in its financial year ending March 2024 to $4.95bn in 2025 Q4.
For the year, Airtel’s underlying Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, and Amortization (EBITDA) declined by 5.1 per cent in reported currency to $2.3bn with underlying EBITDA margins of 46.5 per cent compared to 48.8 per cent in the past year.
The telecom firm said it was “Impacted by increased fuel prices and the lower contribution of Nigeria to the group.”
On customer growth, Airtel grew its base by 8.7 per cent to 166.1 million customers.
Data customers increased by 14.1 per cent to 73.4 million, with data usage per customer increasing by 30.4 per cent to 7GB.
In Q4 2025 alone, transaction value increased by 34 per cent in constant currency with an annualised transaction value of $145bn.
Airtel Searches For Successor As Akhil Gupta Retires As Director is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
