T-Mobile, a leading US telecommunications company, announced on Monday the appointment of Srini Gopalan as its next chief executive officer (CEO), effective November 1. Gopalan, a 55-year-old telecom executive of Indian origin, has been serving as the company’s chief operating officer since January. He also held a position on T-Mobile’s board from 2022 until February 2025. He will succeed Mike Sievert, who has led the company since the 2020 merger with Sprint.
Gopalan’s elevation to CEO comes amid a tense US immigration landscape. The Trump administration has increased scrutiny on the flow of Indian talent into the country. Just days ago, the White House proposed a $100,000 annual fee for H-1B skilled worker visas, a move intended to prioritize higher wages and reduce what officials describe as the exploitation of early-career foreign workers.
### Who is Srini Gopalan?
Born and raised in New Delhi, India, Srini Gopalan exemplifies the global mobility characteristic of many Indian professionals in US tech and telecom leadership roles. He attended Delhi Public School and St. Stephen’s College before earning his MBA from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A), one of India’s top business schools.
Gopalan began his career as a management trainee at Hindustan Unilever, the Indian arm of the multinational consumer goods giant, where he developed crucial operational skills in a fast-paced emerging market environment.
His career quickly expanded across continents and telecom giants, blending marketing, strategy, and operations in Asia, Europe, and the United States. In 2009 and 2010, he served as chief marketing officer for T-Mobile’s UK operations — marking his first tenure with the brand under its parent company Deutsche Telekom.
He then joined Bharti Airtel, India’s largest telecom operator, where he played a key role during a period of explosive growth in mobile services. Afterward, Gopalan held important roles at Vodafone, contributing to mergers and market expansions across Europe.
From 2020, he served as managing director of Telekom Deutschland GmbH, overseeing Deutsche Telekom’s operations in Germany amid crucial digital transformations and 5G rollouts. Along the way, he also gained experience in financial services at Capital One and consulting expertise at Accenture, crafting a well-rounded resume that spans consumer technology, global telecom, and strategic advisory.
Now based in Bellevue, Washington, near T-Mobile’s headquarters and just a short distance from Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, Gopalan brings a personal passion to his professional journey. He is a cricket enthusiast, sharing this interest with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, as well as a blues music aficionado and long-distance runner.
Gopalan joins a distinguished group of Indian-born leaders heading Fortune 500 companies, including Satya Nadella at Microsoft, Sundar Pichai at Alphabet, and Arvind Krishna at IBM.
### T-Mobile Praises Gopalan’s Leadership
T-Mobile’s board highlighted Gopalan’s deep industry expertise and proven internal track record as key reasons behind their choice. “Srini’s skills, experience, and un-carrier mindset make him the ideal leader to shape T-Mobile’s future,” said Mike Sievert in a statement. Sievert credited Gopalan with driving the company’s record growth this year and pioneering innovative customer initiatives.
As Sievert transitions to vice chairman of the board, Gopalan praised his predecessor’s tenure for making T-Mobile “better, stronger, and faster.” He pledged to leverage the company’s “America’s best network and digital/AI capabilities” to serve T-Mobile’s 70,000 employees — affectionately known as “Team Magenta” — and its loyal customers alike.
With his extensive global experience and commitment to innovation, Srini Gopalan is poised to lead T-Mobile into its next chapter of growth and transformation.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/tech/t-mobile-appoints-new-indian-origin-ceo-who-is-srini-gopalan