Key Points
- T-Mobile CEO: Indian-origin executive Srinivas Gopalan has been appointed the next CEO of US telecom giant T-Mobile, effective November 1, 2025. He will succeed Mike Sievert, who is moving to the role of Vice Chairman.
- Gopalan’s Background: An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and St. Stephen’s College, Gopalan currently serves as T-Mobile’s COO. His extensive career includes senior roles at Deutsche Telekom, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, and Hindustan Unilever.
- Molson Coors CEO: In another high-profile appointment, beverage giant Molson Coors has named Rahul Goyal as its new President and CEO, effective October 1. Goyal is a 24-year veteran of the company.
- Industry Context: The appointments come as US companies navigate a competitive market and regulatory shifts, including tightening H-1B visa rules that impact foreign talent.
New Delhi: US telecommunications leader T-Mobile has named its current Chief Operating Officer, Srinivas “Srini” Gopalan, as its next Chief Executive Officer, starting November 1, 2025. The 55-year-old, Indian-origin executive will take the reins from Mike Sievert, who is transitioning to a newly created role of Vice Chairman on the company’s board after a successful tenure that saw T-Mobile’s market value grow by over $200 billion.
The leadership change is part of a well-established succession plan designed to steer T-Mobile through the next phase of its “Un-carrier” strategy, focusing on its 5G leadership and digital-first transformation in a saturated US market. Outgoing CEO Mike Sievert praised Gopalan’s readiness to lead, stating, “Srini has been an incredible partner in shaping the future of T-Mobile… One fact has become crystal clear: Srini is ready to lead”.
In a LinkedIn post, Gopalan expressed his honor, stating, “I am committed to building on [Sievert’s] legacy of putting the customer first while disrupting the industry as we continue to scale our winning Un-carrier strategy”. Gopalan’s appointment places him in an elite club of India-born CEOs leading major US corporations, including Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and Google’s Sundar Pichai.
Gopalan’s journey to the top includes a distinguished career across telecom and consumer goods. He began as a management trainee at Hindustan Unilever and held senior leadership positions at Bharti Airtel and Vodafone before serving as the CEO of Deutsche Telekom’s Germany business, where he achieved record mobile market share.
Rahul Goyal to Lead Molson Coors
In a parallel development, Chicago-based beverage giant Molson Coors announced the appointment of Rahul Goyal as its new President and CEO, effective October 1. Goyal, 49, is a long-time insider, having been with the company for 24 years. Born in India, he studied engineering in Mysore before pursuing business studies in Denver. He brings extensive experience with the Coors and Molson brands across the US, UK, and India.
