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.