Sunil Bharti Mittal Becomes First Indian To Be Conferred Honorary Knighthood By King Charles III

LONDON: Sunil Bharti Mittal, the founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, achieved a new milestone in his long and illustrious career by getting bestowed with the Honorary Knighthood, the Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE), by King Charles III.

The billionaire businessman and philanthrophist scripted history by becoming the first Indian citizen to be conferred with this honour for advancing India-UK business relations.

"I am deeply humbled by this gracious recognition from His Majesty, King Charles. UK and India have historical relations, which are now entering a new era of increased cooperation and collaboration," Sunil Bharti Mittal said.

"I remain committed to working towards strengthening the economic and bilateral trade relationships between our two great nations. I am thankful to the Government of the UK, whose support and keen attention to the needs of business has been critical in making the country an attractive investment destination," he added.

Notably, the KBE is among the highest honors conferred by the British Sovereign to civilians.

It is worth mentioning that Knighthood, the Knight Commander (KBE), is awarded for a distinguished contribution in any field of activity (usually, but not exclusively, at the national level), or in a capacity recognised by peer groups as inspirational and significant nationally and demonstrates sustained commitment.

The KBE is awarded in an honorary capacity to foreign nationals. While the Knighthood conferred on UK nationals grants them the title of Sir or Dame, non-UK nationals conferred with the Honour, add KBE (or DBE for women) after their name instead of using titles such as Sir or Dame.

Previous recipients of the Honorary KBE include Ratan Tata (2009), Ravi Shankar (2001) and Jamshed Irani (1997). 

Meanwhile, other notable accodales of Sunil Bharti Mittal include the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour, which he received in 2007.

He served as Chair of the B20 India Action Council on African Economic Integration during India's G20 Presidency.

He also happens to be a serving Commissioner at the International Telecommunication Union/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development.

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