Telefonica Chairman Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete has been elected as the new Chairman of the Board of the GSMA, the association of the world’s largest telecommunications groups and smaller independent operators.
Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete will replace Orange Group’s Chairman Stephane Richard, who vacates the role after three years’ service. Stephane Richard recently stepped down as the CEO and Chairman of Orange.
With this election, the GSMA Chair will go to a Spanish company for the first time in the association’s history. Alvarez-Pallete will serve from February 2022 to December 2022.
“I am very proud to join the GSMA as Chairman representing the global mobile ecosystem. Technologies such as 5G, edge computing, cloud, cybersecurity, AI and IoT have redefined the way society operates and interacts, paving the way for the metaverse, the web3 and the new digital age,” Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete said.
