Excitel Broadband has announced a major leadership transition with the elevation of Varun Pasricha as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective March 2026. Pasricha has served as Chief Operating Officer at Excitel since 2018 and will now lead the company through its next phase of growth. Founded in 2015, Excitel Broadband is India’s fourth largest FTTH broadband networkserving close to a million customers in over 50 cities and towns.
As CEO, Varun Pasricha will focus on:
- Excitel’s fiber infrastructure scaling
- Increasing the quality and reliability of the service
- Strengthening the ecosystem of cable operators led by the company’s partners
- Accelerating customer acquisition in existing and new markets
Excitel currently serves nearly one million households in over 50 cities and towns in India, supported by its asset-light, partnership-driven expansion model.
Commenting on the leadership transition, Nikolai Gorchilov, Co-Founder of Excitel Broadband, said: “Varun has been central to Excitel’s operational discipline and partner ecosystem, and he is well-suited to lead the company forward. Our next priority is to make Excitel not only affordable, but a beloved brand for customer service – pushing quality to the center and we do everything for customers.”
He added that Excitel’s partner-led model will continue to remain the backbone of its scale and reliability across India.
Over the past eight years, Pasricha has played a critical role in building Excitel’s operational backbone. His responsibilities have included:
- Nationwide network distribution
- City expansion and partner management
- Improving service delivery excellence
- Maintaining cost leadership by driving high customer retention
Prior to joining Excitel in 2018, Pasricha held leadership and strategic roles at Zomato, G4S, Max Healthcare and Indus Towers, gaining deep experience in operations, growth strategy and organizational scaling.
Speaking at his meeting, Varun Pasricha said, “Excitel was built on the belief that high-speed, unlimited internet should be accessible and affordable to every Indian household. My focus will be on building stronger systems, elevating the customer experience, strengthening the partner ecosystem and driving disciplined expansion as we move into our next step.”
Pasricha succeeds Vivek Raina, co-founder and CEO, who will step down after leading Excitel since its inception in 2015.
Reflecting on his tenure, Raina said, “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 in 50+ cities and towns. I believe the time is right for a leadership transition.” Raina will continue to support Excitel as a shareholder while exploring new professional opportunities.
