Amid H-1B visa fee row, Indian-origin leaders Srinivas Gopalan, Rahul Goyal named CEOs of T-Mobile and Molson Coors in US
PTC Web Desk: At a time when the Donald Trump administration is tightening regulations around H-1B visas, two major US corporations have made a strong statement by elevating Indian-origin executives to their top leadership positions.
T-Mobile, one of America’s leading telecom providers, announced that Srinivas “Srini” Gopalan (55) will take over as Chief Executive Officer on November 1. Currently serving as the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Gopalan will succeed Mike Sievert, who transitions into the newly created role of Vice Chairman after leading the firm since 2020.
Expressing his excitement, Gopalan wrote on LinkedIn: “I’m deeply honoured to take on the role of T-Mobile’s next chief executive officer. I’ve long admired this company for fearlessly reinventing wireless services in ways no one thought possible.”
An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, Gopalan began his career with Hindustan Unilever and later held senior positions at Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Capital One, and Deutsche Telekom, where he played a pivotal role in expanding networks and capturing market share. At T-Mobile, he has been instrumental in advancing 5G, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation across technology, consumer, and business divisions.
Meanwhile, in the beverages sector, Molson Coors, headquartered in Chicago, appointed Rahul Goyal (49) as its new president and CEO effective October 1. Goyal succeeds Gavin Hattersley, who will remain as an advisor until year-end. Having spent 24 years with the company, Goyal has contributed extensively across its US, UK, and India operations.
Born in Mysore, India, Goyal studied engineering before moving to the US for further studies in Denver. Reflecting on the decision, David Coors, chairman of the board, said: “After a thorough CEO succession process, it was clear that Rahul brings the right experience and vision to lead Molson Coors into its next chapter.”
These high-profile appointments come amid growing political scrutiny of foreign-born professionals in the US. Despite debates around immigration, Indian-origin leaders continue to shape the leadership of Fortune 500 firms, following in the footsteps of Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Sundar Pichai (Alphabet), and several others.
- With inputs from agencies
