New Delhi, 12 October (H.S.): Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, has been conferred France’s highest civilian honour, the Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Bharti Enterprises said the honour, known in French as “Chevalier de l’Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur”, will be formally conferred on Mittal at a ceremony to be held at the French Embassy in New Delhi on October 28. Mittal has expressed his gratitude to the French Republic for the distinction. The Legion of Honour was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 and is France’s highest national order of merit.

According to the company, Mittal is being recognised for his longstanding efforts to strengthen economic ties between India and France, as well as for his outstanding achievements in the telecommunications and digital infrastructure sectors.

France’s Ambassador to India, Thierry Mathou, said that Mittal had been a friend of France since Airtel’s early days in 1992, maintaining a relationship with the country for more than three decades. He noted that Mittal had consistently strengthened these ties over the years, demonstrating what French and Indian businesses could achieve by working together.

Mathou added that Mittal was now advancing these bilateral ties in his capacity as Vice-Chairman of Eutelsat. He said this was particularly significant at a time when the two countries were working together to make progress in space and digital technologies.

Mittal said his association with France dated back to Airtel’s launch in 1992, when Générale des Eaux (Compagnie Générale des Eaux) partnered with Bharti to introduce mobile telecommunications services in India. He said the association continued to this day, with his current role as Co-Chairman of Eutelsat, a leading company in the European satellite sector.

“I accept this honour with gratitude to the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and reaffirm my commitment to further strengthening economic ties between India and France,” Mittal said.

Mittal was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honours, in 2007. In 2024, he became the first Indian citizen to receive an honorary knighthood from King Charles III of the United Kingdom, being appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE).

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar