The operator group also extends CEO Tim Höttges’ contract by another two years; Rodrigo Diehl to become COO in Germany
Srinivasan Gopalan (pictured above left), who is British and has worked as COO at Deutsche Telekom in Germany since 2020, is to become COO of the group’s American offshoot, T-Mobile US. He will take up that role from 1 March, reporting directly to T-Mobile US’ CEO, Mike Sievert, Gopalan is not a complete stranger to the US business; he has sat on its board for four years. He will oversee operations for business customers and consumers.
Some are interpreting the move as Gopalan being lined up as Sievert’s successor. Sievert himself commented in a statement, “I am so pleased to welcome Srini to this world-leading management team after working with him for years on our board of directors. I know from personal experience that his deep understanding of technology, operations and our business makes him the ideal leader to take on the role of chief operating officer.
“As we execute on the multi-year business and technology transformation plan that we laid out at our Capital Markets Day, having Srini join our team couldn’t be better timed, as he will leverage his experience and track record of leading through significant transformations – as a further accelerant to a plan that already has a lot of momentum behind it.”
Frank Appel, Chair of the Supervisory Board of DT said, “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.”
Rodrigo Diehl (pictured above right) will become COO for DT. At the moment, he heads up DT’s Magenta Telekom opco in Austria. Appel noted, “With Rodrigo Diehl, we are appointing an outstanding manager for the German business who stands for entrepreneurial success and customer focus.”
DT also announced that its CEO, Tim Höttges (pictured above in the centre), has had his contract extended by two years to the end of 2028. It would have lapsed at the end of 2026. Appel, stated, “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.” CEO Tim Höttges’ contract by a further two years.