GSMA appoints Vivek Badrinath as new director general

The GSM Association (GSMA) has announced that Vivek Badrinath has been appointed director general (DG), replacing Mats Granryd who plans to step down from the role after Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2025.

Badrinath will take over the role and join the GSMA board on April 1, 2025, and is described by the group as "a respected figure in the global technology community."

In June 2024, the GSMA announced that Granryd would step down after nine years in the post. He had twice agreed to a contract extension but declined further extensions.

He will remain as the DG until the end of March 2025 and then take on a new role of special advisor to the board for the remainder of 2025.

Mats Granryd will step down as GSMA director general at the end of March 2025. (Source: GSMA)

The GSMA is a non-profit industry organization that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide. More than 750 mobile operators are full GSMA members and a further 400 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem are associate members.

New DG's industry experience

The GSMA board said that Badrinath's expertise in technology and management has led him to holding significant leadership roles, most recently at Vantage Towers AG where he was the CEO and chairman of the management board.

In 2016, Badrinath was appointed Regional CEO of Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific at Vodafone and prior to that he held key positions at Orange, culminating in his appointment as Deputy CEO for Innovation, Marketing, and Technology, "where he played a crucial part in driving digital transformation, expanding market reach and improving customer experience," the industry body said.

"During our selection process it was clear that Vivek's deep understanding of the industry and its potential make him the ideal individual to lead the GSMA into the next phase of its evolution. I am confident that Vivek will work, together with the Board and our excellent GSMA Leadership Team, to drive change and innovation, creating value for both the industry and society," José María Álvarez-Pallete López, chairman of the GSMA, said in a statement about the appointment.

Badrinath also said he looked forward to the new role and to working to "extend and amplify the positive impact of the mobile ecosystem for people, industry and society globally."

*Top image is of GSMA's incoming DG Vivek Badrinath. (Source: GSMA).

— The Staff, Connecting Africa