Excitel Broadband has announced a key leadership transition with the elevation of Varun Pasricha as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective March 2026. Pasricha has been serving as Chief Operating Officer at Excitel since 2018 and will now lead the company into its next phase of growth. Founded in 2015, Excitel Broadband is India’s fourth-largest FTTH broadband network, serving close to one million customers across 50+ cities and towns.
As CEO, Varun Pasricha will focus on:
- Scaling Excitel’s fiber infrastructure
- Enhancing service quality and reliability
- Strengthening the company’s partner-led cable operator ecosystem
- Accelerating customer acquisition in existing and new markets
Excitel currently serves nearly one million households across 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 operating discipline and partner ecosystem, and he is well-suited to lead the company forward. 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.”
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 rollout
- City expansion and partner management
- Improving service delivery excellence
- Maintaining cost leadership while driving high customer retention
Before joining Excitel in 2018, Pasricha held leadership and strategy roles at Zomato, G4S, Max Healthcare, and Indus Towers, gaining deep experience in operations, growth strategy, and organizational scaling.
Speaking on his appointment, Varun Pasricha said, “Excitel was built on the belief that high-speed, unlimited internet should be accessible and affordable for every Indian household. 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.”
Pasricha succeeds Vivek Raina, Co-Founder and CEO, who is stepping 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 across 50+ cities and towns. I believe this is the right time for a leadership transition.” Raina will continue to support Excitel as a shareholder while exploring new professional opportunities.
