Kaustubh Chandra bids farewell to Airtel Business as CMO

MUMBAI: Kaustubh Chandra, the chief marketing officer of Airtel Business, has called time on his nearly five-year stint with the telecom major, drawing the curtain on a chapter marked by growth, reinvention and a distinctly people-first approach.

Announcing his exit in a heartfelt LinkedIn post, Chandra reflected on what he described as a “beautiful” journey, stitched together by people, moments and shared wins. “This goodbye is tough,” he wrote, crediting his team as the real engine behind everything Airtel Business has built over the last five years. From shaping the brand’s voice to driving sustained growth, Chandra said the experience was less about titles and more about collective energy.

Chandra joined Airtel Business in June 2021 and rose to become CMO and head of the digital sales group, overseeing marketing, inside sales, sales operations and enablement under one integrated growth engine. His mandate stretched well beyond India, spanning Apac, the Americas and EMEA, with a focus on accelerating revenue and sharpening Airtel Business’ presence in competitive global markets.

During his tenure, Airtel Business expanded its B2B play across next-generation connectivity, cloud, security, IoT, data centres, CPaaS and 5G for enterprise. Chandra was also a strong advocate of marketing-led growth, blending automation, data-led decision-making and, more recently, generative AI to improve conversions, productivity and speed to market.

Equally central to his approach was culture. In his farewell note, Chandra thanked leaders and peers for creating space for authenticity, adding that Airtel’s ambition to be a trusted, customer-first brand was something he remained deeply proud of. “Airtel will always be special. Forever with pride, I am Airtel,” he wrote.

Before Airtel, Chandra held senior leadership roles at NTT, IBM and Religare Technologies, building a reputation as a marketer who speaks the language of revenue as fluently as brand storytelling. Industry recognition followed, including multiple marketing awards and listings among India’s top CMOs.

What’s next for Chandra remains under wraps. For now, he exits on a high, leaving behind a brand that speaks with clarity, confidence and scale. Sometimes, the strongest goodbyes are simply a sign that the work was done right.