The GSMA Board of Directors has re-elected Gopal Vittal, Executive Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel, as its Chair for the 2027-2028 Board term. Vittal will serve as Chair until December 2028, the industry body announced in London on Monday.
The GSMA represents the world’s mobile operators and companies in the broader mobile ecosystem. As Chair, Vittal oversees the organisation’s strategic direction.
Vittal has served on the GSMA Board for 10 years, including as Chair since 2025. At Bharti Airtel, the world’s second-largest mobile operator by customer base, he oversees the company and its subsidiaries and drives group strategy across digital and technology, network strategy, procurement and talent. He is also Non-Executive Chair of Airtel Africa and Airtel Payments Bank, and a Non-Executive Director on the BT Group Board.
“Our top priority is security,” Vittal said after his re-election, pointing to “securing nations given the increased threats today, securing customers given the rising menace of scams and securing the industry by making it sustainable.” He said he looked forward to working alongside the co-Deputy Chairs.
The Board also elected two co-Deputy Chairs for the term. Ralph Mupita, Group President and CEO of MTN Group since September 2020, was re-elected as Deputy Chair, a role he has held since April 2025. Margherita Della Valle, Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Group since January 2023, joins him as co-Deputy Chair.
Mupita is also a Commissioner on the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development and a founding Commissioner of the ITU’s AI for Good Global Commission. Della Valle previously served as Vodafone’s Group Chief Financial Officer from 2018.
The new Board term runs until December 2028.
Source: GSMA press release
