GSMA Elects New Board Members and Announces Orange Chairman and CEO Stéphane Richard as Chair

The GSMA today announced that it has elected new members of the GSMA Board for the two-year period from January 2019 through December 2020. The GSMA Board has also elected Stéphane Richard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Orange Group as Chair, and Chua Sock Koong, Group Chief Executive Officer of Singtel Group as Deputy Chair. As GSMA Chair, Richard will oversee the strategic direction of the organisation, which represents more than 750 of the world’s mobile operators, as well as over 350 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem.

“I am honoured to be elected to serve as Chair of the GSMA and look forward to working closely with the rest of the Board, the GSMA leadership team and our entire membership to address the critical issues facing our industry and our customers,” said Stéphane Richard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Orange. “Mobile operators and our wider industry have a key role to play in promoting a safer and more inclusive digital world, while building the infrastructure and services that will carry us forward as we enter this new era of intelligent connectivity.”

GSMA Board Members for the 2019-2020 Term

The GSMA Board has 26 members, including 25 operator representatives from the world’s largest operator groups as well as smaller, independent operators with global representation. The GSMA’s Director General Mats Granryd also serves on the GSMA Board. The GSMA Board for the 2019-2020 term comprises:

• Juan Carlos Archila, Executive Vice President of International Relationships, América Móvil
• Susan Johnson, Executive Vice President, Global Connections and Supply Chain, AT&T
• Jamaludin bin Ibrahim, Managing Director/President and Group Chief Executive Officer, Axiata Group Berhad
• Gopal Vittal, Chief Executive Officer, Bharti Airtel
• Dr. Li Zhengmao, Executive Vice President, China Mobile
• Liu Guiqing, Executive Vice President, China Telecom
• Dr. Shao Guanglu, Executive Vice President, China Unicom
• Srini Gopalan, Member of the Board of Management, Deutsche Telekom
• Hatem Dowidar, Chief Executive Officer, International, Etisalat Group
• Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA
• Christian Salbaing, Deputy Chairman, Europe, Hutchison
• Rob Shuter, Group President and Chief Executive Officer, MTN Group
• Alexey Kornya, President and Chief Executive Officer, MTS
• Kazuhiro Yoshizawa, President and Chief Executive Officer, NTT DOCOMO
• Stéphane Richard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Orange Group
• Mathew Oommen, President and Member of the Board of Directors, Reliance Jio
• Chua Sock Koong, Group Chief Executive Officer, Singtel Group
• Jung Ho Park, President and Chief Executive Officer, SK Telecom
• Marcelo Claure, Chief Operating Officer, SoftBank Group
• Eng. Nasser S Al Nasser, Chief Executive Officer, STC Group
• Julio Linares López, Member of the Board of Telefónica Companies, Telefónica
• Sigve Brekke, President and Chief Executive Officer, Telenor Group
• Andrew Penn, Chief Executive Officer, Telstra
• Kaan Terzioğlu, Chief Executive Officer, Turkcell
• Rima Qureshi, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Verizon
• Vivek Badrinath, Chief Executive for the Africa, Middle East and Asia-Pacific Region, Vodafone Group

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises and current GSMA Chair, will step down from the Board at the end of 2018. Mittal served as a member of the GSMA Board from 2005 through 2008 and then again as Chair from 2016 through 2018.

“The mobile world has changed tremendously since I first served on the GSMA Board, but the industry remains as dynamic and exciting as ever,” commented Mittal. “While our industry continues to achieve new milestones, there is still much to be done to connect the unconnected and foster the digital economy. Under Stéphane’s leadership, I am confident that the GSMA will continue to strongly advocate for its members, drive the adoption of new technologies and deliver initiatives to protect our planet and its citizens.”

-ENDS-

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators with over 350 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces the industry-leading MWC events held annually in Barcelona, Los Angeles and Shanghai, as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

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Contact information

For the GSMA
Beau Bass
+44 79 7662 4962
beau.bass@webershandwick.com
or
GSMA Press Office
pressoffice@gsma.com