Sunil Bharti Mittal the 49-year-old chairman of Bharti Enterprises, one of India’s most powerful group of companies says “I like to express myself through large, transformational projects”

In August, Mr. Mittal signed a deal to bring Wal-Mart to India as a wholesale operation. If their venture succeeds, it will create India’s first modern wholesale distribution system.

In spite of such sweeping certainty, or perhaps because of it, Mr. Mittal has become a figurehead of Indian capitalism.He leads the foreign politicians and business executives visits, and encourages them to invest.

Mr. Mittal says his ambitious plans with Wal-Mart are part of his constant search for the “next big fix.”His first was Bharti Airtel, a company Mr. Mittal founded and built into a national telecommunications firm worth more than $40 billion.

As the son of a Punjab politician, Mr. Mittal delved into various businesses before settling on telecommunications.

The reason for Wal-Mart’s interest in India is obvious: the country vast middle class population.Trying to achieve economy of scale, Wal-Mart and Bharti plan to build 10 to 15 wholesale “cash and carry” stores over the next seven years.The stores will stock groceries, clothing and durable goods.

Published on 27 Sep 2007 | Company & Markets

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