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Höttges remains CEO at Deutsche Telekom

January 27, 2025

Deutsch Telkom has announced that Tim Höttges will remain CEO of Deutsche Telekom. The Supervisory Board has extended his contract, which runs until the end of 2026, ahead of schedule until the end of 2028.

At the same time, two managers are moving into new key positions: Srini Gopalan, previously responsible for Deutsche Telekom’s German business, will become the new Chief Operating Officer of T-Mobile US (TMUS). His successor will be Rodrigo Diehl, who is currently still responsible for Magenta Telekom’s business in Austria, as of March 1st 2025.

Frank Appel, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Telekom, commented: “With this decision, the Supervisory Board is sending a signal in the direction of continuity and a breath of fresh air. Tim Höttges has made Deutsche Telekom the leading telecommunications company in the world. We are pleased that he has complied with our request to continue his successful work beyond the previous end of his contract. 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 his experience, for example in digital transformation, to the day-to-day business. We hope that Srini Gopalan’s move will also further reinforce the successful relationship between T-Mobile US and Deutsche Telekom, bringing value for both companies. With Rodrigo Diehl, we are appointing an outstanding manager for the German business who stands for entrepreneurial success and customer focus.”

Höttges said: “I am pleased to continue my work at Deutsche Telekom. I was happy to comply with the Supervisory Board’s request to extend my contract. I have a lot of fun and strength to continue my work at Deutsche Telekom. The realignment will help us to successfully implement our ambitious goals: We want to make even greater use of global economies of scale and continue to deliver top performance. Srini Gopalan is a first-class choice for T-Mobile US. He has done an excellent job in his previous positions at Deutsche Telekom as Head of Germany and previously Europe. He is an important addition to the management team of T-Mobile US, and, together with our US CEO Mike Sievert, will provide important impetus for the continued success of TMUS and Deutsche Telekom. With Rodrigo Diehl, we are rejuvenating the Board of Management and gaining a strong leader from the Deutsche Telekom team for our German business. His successes in the time before Deutsche Telekom, but also for our Europe business and in Austria, clearly underline this. Srini and Rodrigo stand for what drives us at Deutsche Telekom: growth, innovation and customer focus.”

Gopalan commented: “I would like to thank the people of Telekom Deutschland for the four wonderful years I have spent here. We have achieved a lot together: from scaling fiber optics, to gaining market share every quarter, to digital transformation and much more.  I would also like to thank Tim for his support as well as Frank Appel and the Supervisory Board for their trust in me.  I am very excited about my new role at T-Mobile US.  I have worked with Mike and the entire management team for many years as a member of the Board of Directors. T-Mobile US is in an exciting phase, and I’m looking forward to the momentum there. My role will be to drive the ongoing transformation in the areas of consumer and business, to provide technology solutions and to create value.”

Diehl added: ” I am honoured to take on this role and deeply grateful to the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Telekom for their trust. My experience on the Supervisory Board of Telekom Deutschland has allowed me to follow the success of the organisation over the past two and a half years, and I am eager to build on the strong legacy established by Srini. The principle of turning customers into fans (Kunden zu Fans machen) will remain central to everything we do. I look forward to collaborating with all my colleagues at Telekom Deutschland and the Management Board of Deutsche Telekom to drive the next chapter of growth and innovation.”

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