Gopal Vittal, Chairman of Airtel Africa, has been re-elected as Chairman of the GSMA Board of Directors for the 2027–2028 board term. The GSMA is the global industry body representing the mobile ecosystem, with the world's leading mobile operators among its members. The board also re-elected MTN Group Chairman Ralph Mupita as co-Deputy Chair, serving alongside Margherita Della Valle, who will serve her first term in the role.

With the new term set, the board aims to prioritise the security of telecom users against mounting threats such as scams, while working to keep investment sustainable amid accelerating technological innovation.

“I am honoured to be re-elected as Chair of the GSMA Board for a second time. As an industry, we are entering a new era in which advanced networks, AI and open digital platforms can create significant economic and societal value,” Vittal said in a statement released on Monday by GSMA.

“Our top priority is security,” he added.

Vittal was earlier named Airtel Africa's new chairman as Sunil Mittal exited after seven years in the role.

As AI adoption increases, telecom subscribers face a range of scams and fraudulent schemes targeting phone numbers, financial accounts and personal data. The most common threats include SIM swap fraud, SMS and voice phishing, device scams, fake telecom offers and interconnect bypass.

Recent reports highlight the toll of SIM swap fraud, the most common form of telecom fraud, on users' finances. In South Africa, SIM swap attacks accounted for up to 60% of mobile banking breaches in 2024, while SIM swap incidents and identity theft surged by 25% and 20% respectively, driving billions of rands in annual system-wide losses.

Kenya saw a similar wave of attacks, with SIM swap fraud cases surging by 327% in 2024 and more than 123,000 fraudulent SIM cards issued. The incidents led to an estimated $3.8 million (approximately KSh 491.6 million) siphoned directly from mobile wallets.

Those figures explain why the security mandate reaches beyond telecoms: because SIM-based fraud feeds directly into mobile banking and mobile wallet accounts, a compromised SIM can put a subscriber's finances at risk along with their phone number.

The new GSMA board will aim to strengthen security measures across telecom operators in Africa and beyond. Its leadership gives that mandate regional weight: Vittal chairs Airtel Africa and Mupita leads MTN Group, two operator groups with deep African footprints, while Della Valle brings the perspective of Vodafone Group.

“I look forward to continuing this important work with the GSMA team and my fellow Board members. I also look forward to working alongside our co-Deputy Chairs, Ralph Mupita and Margherita Della Valle. Their experience, geographical scope and insight will be a great strength as we take this agenda forward,” Vittal added.

Beyond his role at Airtel Africa, Vittal currently serves as Executive Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel, the world's second-largest mobile phone operator by customer base. He oversees Bharti Airtel and its subsidiaries and drives group strategy and synergies across digital and technology, network strategy, procurement and talent. He is also Non-Executive Chair of Airtel Payments Bank and a Non-Executive Director on the BT Group Board. Under his leadership, Airtel has built a leadership portfolio across mobile, home, B2B and digital services.

Mupita, who previously served as Group Chief Financial Officer, has been Group President and CEO of MTN Group since September 2020. He has served as a GSMA Deputy Chair since April 2025 and is a Commissioner on the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development and a founding Commissioner of the ITU's AI for Good Global Commission. He leads MTN's Ambition 2030 strategy, focused on growing connectivity, fintech and digital infrastructure opportunities across Africa, with the group's fintech separation as a standalone enterprise and its ongoing acquisition of IHS Towers forming a notable path toward that ambition.

Della Valle served as Vodafone Group Chief Financial Officer from 2018 and has been Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Group since January 2023, leading the company's transformation into a simpler, stronger business.

The new board term runs from January 2027 to December 2028, with security, fraud prevention and sustainable investment in telecommunications infrastructure expected to remain central to the GSMA's priorities. In markets like South Africa and Kenya, the same indicators that tracked 2024's surge — SIM swap cases, mobile banking breaches and mobile wallet losses — will offer a yardstick for how the board's stated agenda holds up once the term gets underway.