Höttges has helmed Deutsche Telekom since 2014, steering the company through T-Mobile’s merger with Sprint in the US, the shift to 5G and fibre optic, and a push to be more sustainable.
Frank Appel, chair of the supervisory board at Deutsche Telekom, said: “With this decision, the Supervisory Board is sending a signal in the direction of continuity and a breath of fresh air.
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“Höttges has made Deutsche Telekom the leading telecommunications company in the world. We are pleased that he has complied with our request to continue his successful work beyond the previous end of his contract.”
While Höttges’s contract was extended, a handful of leaders have departed the brand, including Srinivasan Gopalan, who led Deutsche Telekom's German business.
Gopalan joined T-Mobile US earlier this week to take on the chief operating officer role.
“Gopalan is a first-class choice for T-Mobile US,” Appel said. “He has done an excellent job in his previous positions at Deutsche Telekom as head of Germany and previously Europe.”
Replacing Gopalan is Rodrigo Diehl, CEO of Magenta Telekom (formerly T-Mobile Austria), effective March 1.
The supervisory board chair said Diehl’s appointment “rejuvenated the Board of Management”.
“[We are] gaining a strong leader from the Deutsche Telekom team for our German business,” Appel said “His successes in the time before Deutsche Telekom, but also for our Europe business and in Austria, clearly underline this.”
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