Who is Srini Gopalan?
Srini Gopalan in a T-Mobile office. T-Mobile

T-Mobile announced on 22 September 2025 that Srinivasan 'Srini' Gopalan will become its next chief executive officer. The change will take effect on 1 November 2025.

He will replace Mike Sievert, who has led the company since April 2020. The move comes at a critical moment for the US wireless giant, which faces new pressures in a slowing telecoms market. The question now is how Gopalan, a seasoned executive, will steer the company forward.

T-Mobile Names New CEO

Sievert became T-Mobile CEO in April 2020. He took charge soon after the $26 billion (£19.26 billion) merger with Sprint, which reshaped the US telecom landscape. During his leadership, T-Mobile overtook AT&T to become the second-largest wireless provider in the country. The company also delivered stronger stock performance compared with AT&T and Verizon.

Sievert pushed aggressive promotions, streaming deals and loyalty offers to grow the customer base. According to CNBC, he will not leave the company entirely. From 1 November 2025, he will assume a new role as vice chairman. In that position, he will focus on long-term strategy, innovation and talent development.

Gopalan currently serves as Chief Operating Officer. He joined the T-Mobile executive team in March 2025 after almost four years on the board. He will officially succeed Sievert on 1 November. Market reaction to the announcement was cautious, with shares dipping nearly 1% in premarket trading.

Who is Srini Gopalan?

Gopalan was born and raised in India. He studied business administration at St. Stephen's College in New Delhi before completing an MBA at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. Both institutions are recognised as leading centres for business education.

He now lives in Bellevue, Washington, with his wife and two teenage children. Outside work, he describes himself as a keen but slow long-distance runner. He is also a passionate cricket fan and enjoys blues music.

Srini Gopalan's Career

As per his official LinkedIn account, Gopalan began his career in 1992 as an area sales manager at Unilever India. Three years later, he joined Accenture as a senior manager. By 1999, he had moved to Capital One UK, where he eventually rose to managing director after a decade with the company.

In 2009, he became chief marketing officer of T-Mobile UK. He played a role in the joint venture with Orange that created Everything Everywhere, later known as EE. From 2010 to 2013, he worked with Vodafone as consumer director. He then moved to Bharti Airtel in India, overseeing consumer operations in one of the most competitive telecom markets in the world.

His next chapter was with Deutsche Telekom. From 2016 to 2020, he served on the board for Europe, overseeing operations across several countries. In 2020, he became CEO of Deutsche Telekom Germany, where he boosted growth, expanded fibre networks, and strengthened market share. In March 2025, he transitioned to T-Mobile US as COO, leading technology and go-to-market functions. His focus has been on building a digital-first and AI-driven organisation.

Can Srini Gopalan Lead T-Mobile?

The US wireless market is now entering a slower growth phase. Consumers are cautious, and competition in 5G remains fierce. Despite these pressures, T-Mobile is still the fastest-growing major US carrier, thanks in part to its Sprint merger and aggressive strategies.

Industry experts are optimistic about the leadership change. Craig Moffett, a telecom analyst at MoffettNathanson, said: 'Srini Gopalan brings a wealth of experience and is a very impressive leader, and they've handled this transition exceptionally well. I don't expect there to be any fall-off at all in T-Mobile's performance'.

With his extensive background across multiple markets, Gopalan now faces the challenge of sustaining T-Mobile's momentum. All eyes will be on how he handles competition, innovation and customer growth from November onwards.

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