GSMA elects new board members: Gopal Vittal re-elected as Deputy Chair

The GSMA Board of Directors has elected new members for a two-year term that will run from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2026. Gopal Vittal has been re-elected as the Deputy Chair and José María Álvarez-Pallete López as the Chair of the GSMA Board. In his role as GSMA Chair, Mr. Álvarez-Pallete López will be in charge of the organization's strategic direction. The GSMA represents organisations and mobile operators worldwide. 

"I am thrilled to have been reappointed as Chair, and I feel honoured. I'm excited to continue collaborating with our outstanding team to accomplish our objectives and leave a lasting impression for another term. Collectively, we will maintain our leadership position and contribute positively to our sector," José María stated.

"The industry is undergoing rapid change, driven by technological advancements, digital transformation, and the rise of AI," said Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA. Being a part of this change is really exciting, and I have no doubt that the GSMA is in a strong position to successfully continue to advocate for our members and accomplish our objectives under the direction of the Chair and our Board. "We thank the outgoing Board members for their outstanding support, and we are excited to welcome the new and re-elected Board members," he continued.

GSMA Board Members for the 2025-2026 Term

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, in alphabetical order:

• 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
• 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