GSMA Board Members 2027-2028: Who They Are and Why It Matters

The GSMA board members for 2027-2028 are 26 senior leaders from mobile operators around the world. They were announced on 6 October 2026 and will serve from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2028. Gopal Vittal, Executive Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel, is the GSMA Chair. The board’s stated priorities are more investment and innovation, stronger digital safety and trust, and making sure the benefits of connectivity and AI reach everyone.

If you use a phone, you are already affected by the people on this list, even if you have never heard of them. Let’s break down who they are and what this means for you.

What is the GSMA?

If you are asking what is the GSMA, here is the simple answer. It is a global organisation that brings the mobile world together. It represents mobile operators, which are the companies that run your phone network, along with other organisations in the mobile ecosystem and related industries.

The GSMA also runs the MWC and M360 series of events, which it describes as the world’s largest platform for bringing the mobile ecosystem together. Its work covers three broad areas: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. In plain words, it helps the industry agree on shared rules, shared technology and shared goals.

What does the GSMA board do?

Think of the GSMA board like the steering committee of a very large club. The club has thousands of moving parts, and the board helps decide where it goes next. The members are senior representatives from big global operators and from smaller independent operators too. That mix matters, because a small operator and a giant one face very different problems.

The GSMA board election: what was announced?

The GSMA board election result was shared in a press release dated 6 October 2026 from Hong Kong. The new board will serve a two-year term. The release says the board welcomes both new and re-elected members, and thanks the outgoing ones for their service. It does not say which members are new and which are returning, so we cannot tell that from the announcement alone.

There are 26 members of the GSMA Board. Members include senior representatives from global mobile operators as well as smaller independent operators. The GSMA Board for the 2027-2028 term includes, in alphabetical order:

• América Móvil, Carlos M. Jarque, Executive Director Government and Corporate Affairs and International Relations
• Axiata, Nik Rizal Kamil, Group CEO
• AT&T, Matthias Budde, Chief Strategy Officer
• Bharti Airtel, Gopal Vittal, Executive Vice Chairman
• BT, Allison Kirkby, Group CEO
• China Mobile – No Assignment announced at the time
• China Telecom, Huang Zhiyong, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
• China Unicom, Hao Liqian, Senior Vice President
• Deutsche Telekom, José Perdomo, Chief Strategy Officer
• e&, Khalifa Al Shamsi, Managing Director e& International
• Globe, Carl Cruz, President and CEO
• Liberty Global, Mike Fries, CEO
• Millicom, Marcelo Benitez, Group CEO
• MTN, Ralph Mupita, Group President and CEO
• NTT Docomo, Yoshiaki Maeda, President and CEO
• Ooredoo, Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, Group CEO
• Orange, Bruno Zerbib, Group CTIO
• Personal, Roberto Nobile, CEO
• Reliance Jio, Mathew Oommen, Group President and Member of Board
• STC, Olayan Alwetaid, Group CEO
• Telefónica, Pablo de Carvajal, General Counsel and General Director of Regulation
• Telstra, Vicki Brady, Group CEO
• Turkcell, Ali Taha Koç, Group CEO
• Verizon Wireless, Joe Russo, EVP and President, Global Networks and Technology
• Vodafone, Margherita Della Valle, Group CEO

What stands out about this board?

It is global. The operators on the list span Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas. A decision made by this group has to work for very different markets.

It leans toward top leadership. Of the 24 representatives who are named, 13 hold a CEO or President and CEO title. The others include strategy chiefs, a chief technology officer and two senior legal and regulation leaders. That is a useful mix. Strategy people think about where money should go, technology people know what the networks can do, and legal people deal with the rules that shape both.

One seat is still open. China Mobile is listed with a note that its nomination is pending, so no representative is named yet.

Gopal Vittal as GSMA Chair: what is he saying?

The GSMA chair Gopal Vittal said the mobile industry is entering a new era. He believes advanced networks, AI and open digital platforms can create major economic and social value. He named three priorities for working with the board:

• Speed up investment and innovation.
• Strengthen digital safety and trust.
• Make sure connectivity and AI benefits reach people and businesses everywhere.

Notice the last point. It is not only about faster speeds in big cities. The phrase “everywhere” suggests a focus on people who are still poorly served today.

A simple example: how this reaches your daily life

Here is an imagined example to make this real. Meera runs a small bakery in a mid-sized town. Most of her orders come through WhatsApp, her customers pay by UPI, and she posts her cakes on social media.

On a busy Saturday, her network slows down. Orders get stuck, payments fail, and a customer walks away. Later that week, she gets a scam call pretending to be from her bank.

Now connect this to the three priorities above:

• Investment and innovation: Better networks need money. When operators invest in towers, fibre and new technology, Meera’s Saturday rush goes smoothly.
• Digital safety and trust: Safer networks mean fewer scam calls and fewer frauds reaching people like her.
• Reaching everyone: If AI tools help small businesses write menus, answer customer questions or manage stock, Meera only benefits if her connection is good enough to use them.

The board does not fix Meera’s network on its own. Each operator does that. But the board helps set the direction the industry moves in together, and that shapes what Meera eventually experiences.

Why mobile operators need a shared voice

Mobile operators compete with each other every day. Still, some problems are too big to solve alone, such as common technical standards, keeping networks safe, and talking to governments about rules. A body like the GSMA gives them one place to agree on these things. The board is where the direction gets set.