Mumbai: Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel and Deputy Chair of GSMA, has been named the acting chair of the GSMA board, according to a release on Monday.

His appointment follows the resignation of Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete, Chairman and CEO of Telefónica, who stepped down from his company, thereby vacating his position as GSMA Chair.

Airtel confirmed in a statement that Vittal will assume the role of acting chair.

“Gopal was recently re-elected as the Deputy Chair of the GSMA board and has previously served as a key board member for the 2019-2020 term,” the release stated.

GSMA represents the global telecom industry, encompassing over 1,100 companies worldwide, including telecom operators, handset manufacturers, software firms, equipment suppliers, internet companies, and other industry stakeholders.