By Our Correspondent
Gurugram (India), March 27, ’25 (TNZ) The Board of Directors of the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) elected Gopal Vittal – Vice Chairman & MD, Bharti Airtel, as its new Chairman.
TheNewsZenith reports that Vittal is currently the acting Chairman of the GSMA board.
Emeka Oparah, Vice President, Corporate Communications & CSR of Airtel Africa, announced the appointment in a statement emailed to TheNewsZenith on Thursday in Lagos.
As the Chairman, Vittal will oversee the strategic direction of the GSMA.
This prestigious body includes 1,000 telecom companies from around the world.
They include handset and device companies, software companies, equipment providers, internet companies and organisations in adjacent industry sectors.
Vittal becomes the second Indian, after Sunil Bharti Mittal, elected as GSMA Board Chairman.
“The appointment also highlights Airtel’s significant influence in the global telecom industry.
“This is because both Mittal and Vittal have held key positions on the GSMA Board for years.
“Taking on the role, Vittal expressed delight at his election as the Chair of the GSMA Board.
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“The mobile industry contributed $6.5 trillion to the global economy in 2024. It is also instrumental to many of the innovations in the world,” TheNewsZenith quotes Vittal as saying.
According to him, the GSMA – a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem – is fundamental to discover, develop and deliver innovation that impacts positive change for all.
“I look forward to working closely with the GSMA team to continue this important work.
“I have worked with Vittal for many years, and I am delighted that he has been appointed Chair of the GSMA Board.
“His knowledge and experience well positioned him to lead the Board and the industry through the current challenges and opportunities.
“This includes how to leverage AI and complete 5G for new business models and revenues streams,” Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA, commented.
Vittal has served on the GSMA Board in different capacities for over a decade, including as Deputy Chair for the last three years.
Recently, the association appointed him the Acting Chair of the GSMA board in early 2025. He has now been formally elected as the Chair of the GSMA board.
Vittal will serve as the Chair of the Board until the end of 2026. The GSMA Board will announce the election of a new Deputy Chair in due course.
Vittal is currently the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel. He is also a member of Bharti Airtel Limited Board, Airtel Africa PLC and Indus Towers.
Before this, he was the Managing Director & CEO for Airtel for 12 years. (TNZ)
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