DT Has New Top Team

BONN, Germany -- CEO René Obermann has introduced his leadership team to the press. Timotheus Höttges and Hamid Akhavan join the Deutsche Telekom Board of Management. The Board members responsible for the strategic business areas take on additional cross-divisional tasks."Those who know me better know that I attach a great deal of importance to hiring the right people for management positions,” said Obermann. “Total customer orientation, entrepreneurial thinking and innovative strength are particularly important to me in the new management of Deutsche Telekom. And these are present in abundance in my new team.”

Timotheus Höttges not only assumes responsibility for the Broadband/Fixed Network strategic business area, but also for Sales & Services at T-Com and T-Mobile in Germany. “As head of the T sales drive in recent weeks, Mr. Höttges has demonstrated just how successful a team comprising T-Mobile, T-Com, T-Punkt stores and specialist sales can be,” said Obermann.

“The best possible team”

Hamid Akhavan is taking the helm of T-Mobile. He will manage mobile communications companies in Western and Eastern Europe and take on additional responsibilities for an integrated market approach in Hungary, Croatia and Slovakia. Akhavan will also manage Group-wide innovation and product development in the consumer business. T-Systems CEO Lothar Pauly will continue to be responsible for the network and IT strategy and procurement in the infrastructure area, as well as the successful management of the Business Customer area.

“With the three top men as the heads of T-Com, T-Mobile and T-Systems, with their dual function as managers responsible for infrastructure, product development, and sales and service, I see us as a team in the best possible position to pursue the right strategy in the key markets,” Obermann told the press.

Karl-Gerhard Eick continues to be responsible for Finance, having had his contract extended, and will remain Deputy CEO. His department will be extended to include Auditing and Shared Services. Additionally, Eick will be acting Board Member for Human Resources from January 1, 2007.

“Customers dictate the heartbeat”

The Board will now further develop the Group’s long-term strategy over the coming weeks and months. But one objective is already clear, as Obermann stressed: “We want to make Deutsche Telekom the most highly regarded service company in our industry. That means product offers and services tailored to the customers’ needs, top network quality, built on vastly improved efficiency.”

“Our customers dictate the heartbeat of our company,” the CEO added: “We have to understand the individual customer groups better and target them more specifically. We will do this from a single source in Germany in particular, no longer asking ourselves what T-Com and T-Mobile do, but rather asking what our customers want.”

Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT)