Excitel broadband elevates Varun Pasricha to chief executive officer

Excitel Broadband has announced the appointment of Varun Pasricha as chief executive officer, effective March 2026. He has served as chief operating officer at the company since 2018.

Pasricha will succeed Vivek Raina, co-founder and CEO, who is stepping down after leading the company since 2015. Raina will continue as a shareholder.

Excitel operates as a fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband provider and currently serves nearly one million households across more than 50 cities and towns in India.

As CEO, Pasricha is expected to oversee fibre network expansion, service delivery and the company’s partner-led distribution model.

“Varun has been central to Excitel’s operating discipline and partner ecosystem, and he is well suited to lead the company forward,” said Nikolai Gorchilov, co-founder, Excitel Broadband “Victor Francess, Plamen Petkov and I have built internet businesses across Europe and India, and our next priority is to make Excitel not just affordable, but a loved brand - by pushing quality and customer service to the centre of everything we do. Our partner-led model remains the backbone for scale, and we will keep strengthening systems that improve reliability and the customer experience across our footprint.”

Speaking on his new role, Varun Pasricha, chief executive officer, Excitel Broadband, said: “Excitel was built on the belief that high-speed, unlimited internet should be accessible and affordable for every Indian household. Having worked closely with our teams and partners over the years, I’ve seen the strength of the foundation we’ve created. My focus will be on building stronger systems, elevating customer experience, empowering our partner ecosystem, and driving disciplined expansion as we scale to our next milestone.”

Reflecting on his tenure, Vivek Raina said: “It has been an incredible journey building Excitel from the ground up. Over the past decade, we have expanded our fiber network to serve nearly one million users, collaborated with thousands of local and regional partners, and built a strong presence across 50+ cities and towns. I believe this is the right time for a leadership transition, and I am confident that the Founders’ vision and Varun’s operational expertise will take Excitel to even greater heights. I will continue to support Excitel as a shareholder, and I’m excited to explore new challenges in the future.”