Bharti Airtel CEO and GSMA deputy chair Gopal Vittal was named as acting chair of the industry association until after MWC Barcelona 2025, replacing Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete who left his position as CEO of Telefonica last month.

In a short statement, the GSMA explained Alvarez-Pallete was no longer able to continue in the role as chair of its board of directors and it was turning to Vittal to take the role in the interim.

A permanent successor will be named after MWC Barcelona 2025, which will be held from 3 to 6 March.

The GSMA added it was “grateful” to Alvarez-Pallete for his contribution “to the organisation and to the industry overall”.

Marc Murtra, the man chosen to replace Alvarez-Pallete as Telefonica’s chair and CEO, will now represent the Spain-based operator on the board with immediate effect, the GSMA added.

Vittal has held the deputy chair role since 2023 and was reappointed in October 2024.