Sunil Bharti Mittal elected Chairman of International Chamber of Commerce

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, has been elected as the Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), which is amongst the world’s oldest and most respected global business organisations. 

He is the third Indian business leader to hold this prestigious position in the ICC’s nearly 100-year history.

Mittal takes over from Terry McGraw, Chairman Emeritus of S&P Global, who will subsequently become ICC’s Honorary Chairman. The ICC World Council elected the new leaders in a vote held in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Upon being elected, Mittal said: “I am honoured at being given the opportunity to lead this prestigious global institution and look forward to working with our members to ensure that we continue to play a constructive role as the voice of global business in the formulation of economic and trade policies to support inclusive growth. The global economy is facing unprecedented headwinds to growth and there is an urgent need to restore trade and investment as a driver of growth and jobs, particularly in the developing world and this will be a central focus of my tenure.”

Founded in 1919, ICC is the world’s largest business organisation which represents private sector views to national governments and intergovernmental bodies around the world. It advocates free trade and the market economy, working through a network of national committees and direct members in over 130 countries. ICC was awarded the highest level consultative status with the United Nations (UN) in 1946, and since then has represented the private sector by engaging in a broad range of activities with the UN and its specialised agencies.

Mittal serves on many international bodies and think-tanks. He is currently the Chair of the World Economic Forums (WEF) Telecommunications Steering Committee and is a member of the International Business Council-WEF, GSMA Board, Telecom Board of International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Commissioner of the Broadband Commission, International Advisory Panel of the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Prime Minister of Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council. He is a Trustee of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and on the Board of the Qatar Foundation Endowment.

He is closely associated with spearheading India’s global trade and collaboration policy. He has served on the Prime Minister of India’s Council on Trade and Industry. He is also a member of the India-US, India-UK and India-Japan CEO Forums. He is Co-Chair of the India-Africa Business Council and the India-Sri Lanka CEO Forum. He was the President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the premier industry body in India in 2007-08.

Mittal is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honours, awarded to individuals for demonstrating distinguished service of the highest order. He has also been awarded the Harvard Business School’s Alumni Achievement Honour – the topmost honour accorded by the institute to its alumni. He is the recipient of GSMA’s prestigious Chairman Award, besides being decorated with numerous industry honours. Mittal has been conferred honorary doctorates by several leading universities in India and the UK.