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The announcement coincides with a leadership shuffle that will see Srini Gopalan, current head of Deutsche Telekom’s Germany business, become COO of T-Mobile
Tim Höttges, Deutsche Telekom’s CEO since 2014, will remain in his role until the end of 2028 after the Supervisory Board extended his contract two years ahead of schedule.
Höttges has been credited with transforming Deutsche Telekom into a global leader, steering initiatives like the 2020 T-Mobile–Sprint merger in the US and the company’s push toward 5G and sustainability.
“Tim Höttges has made Telekom the world’s leading telecommunications company. We are pleased that he has accepted our request to continue his successful work beyond the end of his current contract,” said Frank Appel, Chairman of DT’s Supervisory Board.
Given his track record, the fact that the board wants Höttges to continue as CEO is hardly surprising. However, it is notable that they are willing to undermine their own rules to do so; the company’s corporate governance policy state that board members may be no older than 65, an age Höttges will reach in 2027.
Alongside this CEO news, Deutsche Telekom also announced two key management changes. Srini Gopalan, currently leading Deutsche Telekom’s German business, will become Chief Operating Officer of T-Mobile US. He is set to take on the role in March 2025, bringing his experience in digital transformation and market growth to one of Deutsche Telekom’s most successful business units.
Replacing Gopalan as head of Telekom Germany will be Rodrigo Diehl, who has been leading Magenta Telekom in Austria. Diehl, with over 20 years of industry experience, is known for his focus on customer satisfaction and growth.
“With Srini Gopalan, one of our most experienced managers is strengthening the management team of T-Mobile US. He already knows the company from his almost four years on the Supervisory Board (Board of Directors) of TMUS and can bring all of his experience, for example in digital transformation, to day-to-day business. We hope that Srini Gopalan’s move will further strengthen the successful relationship between T-Mobile US and Deutsche Telekom. With Rodrigo Diehl, we are appointing an outstanding manager for the German business who stands for entrepreneurial success and customer focus,” said Appel.
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