José María Álvarez-Pallete loses the presidency of the GSMA after his departure from Telefónica

Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson
José María Álvarez-Pallete

At the end of January, José María Álvarez-Palletewho so far exercised as executive president of Telefónica was replaced in office by Marc Murtra, until then President of Indra. One of the effects of the relay is that Álvarez-Pallete has also been relegated from his position as president of the Board of Directors of GSMA, The association that brings together the largest telecommunications and connectivity groups

GSMA will choose a new president after the celebration of the Mobile World Congress of Barcelona

Consequently, the organization has chosen Gopal VittalCEO of Bharti Airtel Group and vice president of GSMA, as interim president of the Board of Directors. Will assume responsibilities until the organ chooses a New Presidentwhich will happen after the celebration of the Mobile World Congress of Barcelona, which will take place between March 3 and 6.

After the announcement of the resignation of José María Álvarez-Pallete as president and CEO of Telefónica, he will no longer be able to continue in the position of President of the Board of Directors of the GSMA. The GSMA appreciates its contribution to the organization and the industry in general”, Said the association in a brief statement.
In addition, GSMA has communicated that Marc Murtra It will represent Telefónica in the Board of Directors with immediate effect.

José María Álvarez-Pallete agreed to the position of the GSMA in February 2022, becoming the first manager of a Spanish company to assume the presidency in the history of the association. In October of last year he was re -elected for the position until December 2026. However, his departure from Telefónica has put an end to this tour.

At the time of his re-election, Álvarez-Pallete said he was honored and excited about the new stage that opened. Highlighted “The work of the GSMA team to close the digital gap, a critical aspect if we really want to carry the socioeconomic benefits of digitalization to the most vulnerable. Always, advancing with the objective of ensuring that the technological revolution is put at the service of people, companies and society as a whole, without leaving anyone behind

As they moved from Telefónica, during their presidency of GSMA the launch of Open Gateway, An initiative aimed at changing the way in which the telecommunications sector designs and markets its services, betting on APIs. Also the ethical and responsible use of technology, especially artificial intelligence.