Amid H-1B visa clampdown, T-Mobile names Srini Gopalan CEO; Molson Coors elevates Rahul Goyal

An industry veteran, Gopalan began his career at Hindustan Unilever before taking leadership roles at Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, and Deutsche Telekom

As the US tightens entry for Indian professionals and students under MAGA-driven policies, T-Mobile has bucked the trend, naming Srinivas (Srini) Gopalan, an IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, as its new CEO-signaling continued trust in Indian talent at the helm of major American firms, according to The Times of India.

Gopalan, 55, who currently serves as chief operating officer, will succeed Mike Sievert on November 1, the TOI report said. Sievert, who has helmed the company since 2020, will move up as vice-chairman. An industry veteran, Gopalan began his career at Hindustan Unilever before taking leadership roles at Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, and Deutsche Telekom. Having grown up in Delhi, he studied at DPS and St. Stephen's College before heading to IIM-A.

In a parallel development, Molson Coors-the Chicago-based beer maker and the world's fourth-largest brewer after Anheuser-Busch, Heineken and Carlsberg-has elevated Rahul Goyal as its new CEO. Goyal, 49, who has been with the company for over two decades and is currently chief strategy officer, will succeed Gavin Hattersley on October 1. An engineering graduate from Mysore, Goyal later pursued business administration in Denver.

These appointments add to the roster of Indian-origin leaders heading major US companies, including Microsoft, Google, IBM and FedEx, a trend that TOI noted is increasingly drawing the ire of anti-globalization MAGA loyalists opposed to foreign-born executives taking charge of American corporations.

On LinkedIn, Gopalan expressed his gratitude for the role, describing T-Mobile as a company with "America's best network and digital/AI capabilities that are far ahead of the industry." With annual revenues of $81 billion, T-Mobile currently ranks fourth behind Verizon, Comcast and AT&T, all of which top $125 billion. The board hopes Gopalan can replicate the success of Indian-origin leaders such as Satya Nadella at Microsoft and Sundar Pichai at Alphabet, and help narrow the gap with competitors.

Addressing T-Mobile's 70,000 employees, collectively referred to as "Team Magenta" in line with the company's brand identity, Gopalan said: "Our team is defined by its skill, determination and thoughtfulness. I am excited to lead this journey as CEO and build an even stronger future together."

According to his executive profile, Gopalan is an avid cricket fan with interests in blues music and long-distance running. He lives in Bellevue, near Seattle, only a short drive from Microsoft's Redmond headquarters, led by another cricket enthusiast, Satya Nadella.