GSMA re-elects Telefonica CEO Alvarez-Pallete Lopez as chair and Airtel’s Gopal Vittal as his deputy

London-headquartered telecom industry association GSMA has elected new members of the GSMA Board of Directors for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026.

The GSMA Board has also re-elected Telefonica Chief Executive Officer Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete Lopez, as Chair, and Bharti Airtel’s CEO Gopal Vittal as Deputy Chair.

As GSMA Chair, Álvarez-Pallete López will oversee the strategic direction of the organisation, which represents the world’s mobile operators and companies in the broader mobile ecosystem.

José María Álvarez-Pallete López, said, “I look forward to another term of working together with our talented team to achieve our goals and continue to make a lasting impact. Together, we will continue to stay at the forefront of trends and make a positive impact in our industry.”

“The industry is going through rapid change, driven by advances in technology, digital transformation, and the rise of AI. It is a very exciting time to be part of this transformation, and I am confident that with the leadership of the Chair and our Board, the GSMA is well-positioned to successfully continue to advocate for our members and achieve our goals,” said Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA.

There are 26 members of the GSMA Board. Members include senior representatives from global mobile operators as well as smaller independent operators. The GSMA Board for the 2025-2026 term includes:

·       America Movil, Carlos M. Jarque, Executive Director of Corporate, Government and International Relations

·       AT&T, F. Thaddeus Arroyo, Chief Strategy and Development Officer

·       Bharti Airtel, Gopal Vittal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer

·       BT (EE Ltd.), Allison Kirkby, Group CEO

·       China Mobile, Gao Tongqing, Executive Vice President

·       China Telecom, Li Jun, Executive Vice President

·       China Unicom[1]

·       Deutsche Telekom, Dominique Leroy, Board Member for Europe

·       e&, Hatem Dowidar, Group CEO

·       Ethio Telecom, Frehiwot Tamru, CEO

·       Globe, Ernest Lawrence Cu, President and CEO

·       GSMA, Mats Granryd, Director General

·       KDDI, Makoto Takahashi, Group CEO

·       KT, Young Shub Kim, Group CEO

·       Liberty Global, Mike Fries, CEO

·       MTN, Ralph Mupita, Group President and CEO

·       Orange, Bruno Zerbib, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer

·       Reliance Jio, Mathew Oommen, President and Member of the Board

·       Telecom Argentina, Roberto Nobile, CEO

·       Telefonica, Jose Maria Álvarez-Pallete, Chairman & CEO

·       Telenor, Benedicte Fasmer, President and Group CEO Elect

·       TIM, Pietro Labriola, Group CEO and General Manager

·       Turkcell, Ali Taha Koc, CEO

·       Veon, Kaan Terzioglu, Group CEO & Board member of VEON Group

·       Verizon, Joe Russo, EVP & President of Global Networks and Technology

·       Vodafone, Margherita Della Valle, Group CEO