- Claudia Nemat is stepping down after 14 years on Deutsche Telekom's executive board, effective September
- Her exit follows CEO Tim Höttges' contract extension to 2028, raising questions about blocked succession paths
- Nemat's successor, Abdu Mudesir, has been instrumental in advancing DT's 5G rollout and AI-powered network operations
Claudia Nemat, executive board member at Deutsche Telekom, is leaving after a 14-year tenure, during which time she is credited with helping lead the carrier's network digitization, 5G deployment, AI strategy and building resilient supply chains.
In a LinkedIn statement announcing her resignation, Nemat explained her decision with the usual handwaving that top-level executives give in these situations: She said she wants to concentrate on "entrepreneurial activities, investing in AI and technology, in addition to international Board roles."
However, John Strand, CEO of Strand Consult, wonders whether internal politics at DT have caused Nemat's departure — specifically, whether Nemat was told she wasn't going to be named DT CEO anytime soon.
"We know that Tim Höttges, who is CEO for DT, in January had his contract extended until 2028," Strand said in an email to Fierce. "This means that if she has ambitions to become CEO of DT, it will take a long time. I wouldn't be surprised if she has been told that she is not a candidate to take over Tim Höttge's job."
Nemat declined to renew her 14-year contract and will leave in September, according to a statement from DT.
She will be succeeded by Dr. Abdurazak (Abdu) Mudesir, currently CTO on Nemat's Executive Board and in Germany, the carrier said.
In the DT statement, Dr. Frank Appel, DT supervisory board chairman, credited Nemat with a "decisive role in shaping Deutsche Telekom's culture and performance in recent years -- from the digitalization of networks to the success story of 5G, the development of resilient supply chains in times of polycrises, global product innovations and our recently developed AI strategy."
Mudesir helped shape DT's technological direction, extending Germany's network to more than 10.5 million fiber connections and over 98% 5G coverage, advancing Open RAN, cloud infrastructure and AI-based network control, and increasing power quality, energy efficiency, and service automation on the path to achieving an autonomous grid, DT said.
Mitch Wagner, Executive Editor at Fierce Network and Chief Analyst at Fierce Network Research contributed to this article.