Sunil Bharti Mittal Awarded France's Highest Civilian Honour, the Legion of Honour

Sunil Bharti Mittal, founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, has been awarded the Knight of France's National Order of the Legion of Honour by French President Emmanuel Macron. The honour recognises his decades-long contributions to India-France economic ties, telecommunications, and digital infrastructure. Mittal co-chairs Eutelsat, where Bharti Space is the largest private shareholder. He previously received the Padma Bhushan in 2007 and an honorary KBE from King Charles III in 2024.

French President Emmanuel Macron has conferred on Sunil Bharti Mittal — who founded and chairs Bharti Enterprises — the rank of Knight within the Legion of Honour, the decoration that stands as France's foremost civilian award. Bharti Enterprises, in a Monday statement, said the decoration acknowledges Mittal's role in building commercial links between India and France, alongside his work in telecommunications and digital infrastructure. In a statement following the recognition, Mittal described feeling both moved and humbled, and outlined a commitment to strengthening economic ties between the two nations. A partnership struck in 1992 between Bharti and the French firm Compagnie Générale des Eaux laid the groundwork for his ties to France, the two companies having joined forces to bring mobile telephony into the Indian market. His position as co-chairman of Eutelsat — the satellite communications company with its headquarters in Paris — keeps that connection in place. In a formal statement, the French Ambassador, Thierry Mathou, pointed to Mittal's record of building bilateral business links over more than thirty years, adding that his contributions had helped move forward cooperation in both space and digital technology. Founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, the Legion of Honour honours those who have demonstrated outstanding contributions across the fields of commerce, public service, the arts, and scientific endeavour. The Padma Bhushan, among the most distinguished civilian honours conferred in India, was awarded to Mittal back in 2007. King Charles III conferred upon him the honorary rank of Knight Commander within the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire during 2024, a distinction that placed him among the first Indian nationals to hold such recognition. Bharti's connection to France runs deeper still, encompassing a stake held in Eutelsat. A November 2025 funding round drew Bharti Space in as a participant, and the company's disclosed holding of 17.88% places it at the top of the satellite firm's private investor register. A 29.65% stake in Eutelsat passed into the hands of the French state, making it the satellite operator's single largest shareholder. Ties between the two nations in telecommunications, digital infrastructure, and satellite communications have provided the backdrop against which this recognition has taken shape.

Sunil Bharti Mittal Awarded France's Highest Civilian Honour, the Legion of Honour

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Sunil Bharti Mittal Awarded France's Highest Civilian Honour, the Legion of Honour

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