Sunil Bharti Mittal, the founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, is set to be conferred with the honor of Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor by the French President Emmanuel Macron. On 28th of October, 2026, Sunil Mittal will receive the honor at the French Embassy in New Delhi. This honor is awarded in recognition of the contributions of the Mittal towards fostering economic relations between India and France in the field of telecommunications and satellite communications.
Why Has Sunil Bharti Mittal Been Selected for the Honor?
As mentioned above, the decision of the French government recognizes Mittal’s contribution towards building ties between India and France for more than three decades.
As per Bharti Enterprises, Mittal’s journey in France started in 1992 when the French company Compagnie Générale des Eaux entered into a collaboration with him for introducing mobile telephony in India.
Moreover, his contribution towards satellite communications has strengthened these business ties as he is the co-chairman of Eutelsat, which is a Paris-based satellite communications company.
Introduction to the Legion of Honor of France
The Legion of Honor (Légion d’honneur) is the highest honor of France. The award is awarded for distinguished services in civil and military careers.
Napoleon Bonaparte created the award on 19 May 1802 when he was the First Consul of France. It honors individual merit regardless of the social and professional standing of individuals. The award is made to French citizens and foreigners for their distinguished services to France.
The order has five classes of distinction as follows,
- Chevalier (Knight) – the lowest class of the order
- Officier (Officer)
- Commandeur (Commander)
- Grand Officier (Grand Officer)
- Grand-Croix (Grand Cross) – the highest class of the order
Mittal has been conferred the rank of Chevalier of the order
Previous Awards and Honors Won by Sunil Bharti Mittal
The following is a list of the several national and international awards and honors won by Mittal due to his contributions in the business and telecom industries.
Padma Bhushan (2007): This is one of India’s highest civilian awards recognizing his contribution to business and the economy.-
Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) (2024): This is according to Bharti Enterprises as Mittal was honored as the first Indian citizen who was recognized for this honor by King Charles III.
French Legion of Honor (2026): This distinction is awarded to him in appreciation of his efforts to improve economic and technological collaboration between India and France.
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