The sixth richest Indian started a bicycle parts business in 1976 with a capital of Rs 20,000. He established the first company to manufacture push button telephones in India. Sunil graduated from Punjab University and attended the Harvard Business School.

Along with his brothers, Rakesh and Rajan Mittal, he became India's largest mobile phone operator in just ten years with a customer base of 27 million.

Bharti (Airtel), his mobile telephony company, adds a million customers every month. Vodafone bought a 10 per cent stake in Bharti Televenture, his joint venture with Singtel, for $1.5 billion in October.

In November, Sunil, 49, sealed a joint venture deal with Wal-Mart, to start a number of retail stores across India.

Bharti, along with Axa, has a new insurance venture. FieldFresh Foods Pvt Ltd, Bharti's venture with the E L Rothschild Group-owned ELRO Holdings India Ltd, will export fresh agri products exclusively to markets in Europe and the US.

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