BT Group has confirmed the appointment of Bharti Enterprises founder and chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal to its board, along with Gopal Vittal, vice chairman and managing director of Bharti Airtel Limited.

Both will join BT’s group as non-independent non-executive directors.

It follows on from Bharti Global’s acquisition of a 24.5 percent stake in British telco giant BT last year from Altice founder Patrick Drahi.

The UK government approved the deal on the basis that BT establishes a national security committee within the company to oversee “strategic work that it performs which has an impact on or is in respect of the national security.”

Bharti initially acquired a 10 percent stake earlier in 2024, before gaining government approval to increase the stake to its current 24.5 percent.

Mittal and Vittal were appointed to the board as the nominated representatives of Bharti Televentures UK Limited, a company established and wholly owned by Bharti Global Limited.

“I am delighted to be joining the board of BT, an iconic company delivering critical infrastructure and services for the UK,” said Mittal.

“I look forward to working with Chairman Adam Crozier, the board, and CEO Allison Kirkby to drive forward the strategy to win in the market and deliver world-leading services for BT’s customers.”

Earlier this year, the Financial Times reported that Bharti could increase its stake in the UK telco.

The Indian giant has sought opportunities beyond India but has previously ruled out a full buyout of BT.

Ironically, BT previously owned a 21 percent stake in Bharti Airtel between 1997 and 2001, a subsidiary of Bharti Enterprises Limited.

BT CEO Allison Kirkby outlined plans last year to save a further £3 billion ($4.09bn) in costs by the end of 2029.

In 2023, BT announced plans to cut 55,000 jobs by the end of the decade, affecting its operations both in the UK and globally. At the time, BT noted that its workforce was around 130,000.