Change at the top of Deutsche Telekom‘s finance department: Dr. Christian Illek will leave the company after the 2027 Annual General Meeting at the end of April for age-related reasons. His successor will be Dhananjay Mirchandani, who will succeed CFO Christian Illek on May 1, 2027.
It was also decided at the Supervisory Board Meeting that Jan Hofmeyr will be appointed as the new Board Member for Product and Technology. The South African-born American will succeed Dr. Abdurazak (Abdu) Mudesir, who left the company at his own request in spring, on November 1, 2026. The new Chief Product & Digital Officer at Deutsche Telekom will be Mladen Mitic. He was previously responsible for B2C Commercial Growth in Deutsche Telekom’s Europe segment and will report to the new Board Member Product and Technology Hofmeyr in the future. Mitic succeeds Jonathan Abrahamson, who is leaving the company at his own request.
Dr. Frank Appel, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Telekom, commented, “The signal sent out by these appointments is clear: With these decisions, we are combining experience, renewal and international technological expertise. Deutsche Telekom is in an excellent position operationally and strategically. Now it is a matter of maintaining and expanding this strength with the next generation of management. That is why we have prepared the succession with great care. With these personnel decisions, we are continuing the orderly transition to the next generation of the Board of Management.
Christian Illek has shaped Deutsche Telekom for many years and in various management roles. Whether as Chief Human Resources Officer or, in recent years, as Chief Financial Officer – the Supervisory Board has always greatly appreciated working with him. With him, a recognized leader with a strong connection to Deutsche Telekom is leaving. This was also reflected in his willingness to share responsibility for the Technology department for the transitional period. For this and the excellent work of the past 20 years, he deserves our express thanks and recognition.
With Dhananjay Mirchandani, we have found a convincing successor for Christian Illek from within our own ranks. He knows Deutsche Telekom and our industry from his time as an analyst and strategy consultant. His appointment is a strong signal of continuity in this important area of our company.
With Jan Hofmeyr, we are gaining an internationally extremely experienced technology expert who knows telecommunications and the world of large technology platforms in equal measures. It is precisely this connection that will be of great importance for the next phase of our network development and technological transformation.”
Tim Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom, said, “For me, the farewell to Christian is much more than a personnel matter. Christian and I have worked closely and trustingly together for over two decades. As marketing manager for the German business, as HR manager, as CFO and most recently as CTO ad interim – Christian was an important architect of our development in decisive phases. Above all, however, he was always one thing for me: a reliable partner. Someone with whom you could discuss difficult situations openly, who took responsibility and on whom you could rely at all times. Many decisions that we look at with pride today also bear his signature. Christian is therefore not leaving behind an office – he leaves behind a well-ordered house. I particularly appreciate the fact that he is introducing his successor to the task with great professionalism. That is leadership responsibility beyond his own term of office. With Dhananjay Mirchandani, we have been able to recruit a recognized leader from within our own ranks to succeed him. He knows Deutsche Telekom and the industry. I look forward to working with him.
At the same time, I am very pleased that we have been able to recruit Jan Hofmeyr, a technology manager of his caliber, for Deutsche Telekom. Jan knows the telecommunications industry from his many years of experience. At the same time, he knows the world of international technology platforms, the speed of cloud and digital business models, and the enormous momentum that has created artificial intelligence. He knows both sides of the playing field. This is exactly the connection we need now. I look forward to shaping Deutsche Telekom’s technological future with him – and to further expanding our position as a leading European telecommunications company. In doing so, he can rely on the support of Mladen Mitic, who will be at his side as the new Chief Product & Digital Officer and successor to Jonathan Abrahamson.
You can also recognize a strong company by the fact that it puts its next generation in charge in good time. That’s exactly what we’re doing now.”
Dr. Christian Illek, CFO Deutsche Telekom, commented, “It was and is a privilege to have contributed to the further development of Deutsche Telekom in various functions. My special thanks go to Tim, my colleagues on the Board of Management, my teams and the many great people at Deutsche Telekom with whom I have had the privilege of working over the years at Deutsche Telekom. The focus in the coming months is now to train my successors in the best possible way.”
Jan Hofmeyr, CTO Deutsche Telekom, said, “Deutsche Telekom is one of the few companies in the world that has a strong telecommunications base, international reach and the ability to industrialize technology on a large scale at the same time. This connection is an exceptional starting point for the next few years. I am very much looking forward to the new task and to working with Tim Höttges, the entire Board of Management and the P&T team. Together, we want to bring networks, cloud, AI and digital platforms even closer together – with the ambition not only to use technology, but to actively shape the future of our industry.”
Dhananjay Mirchandani, CFO designate Deutsche Telekom, commented, “I accept this responsibility with great respect and great excitement. Deutsche Telekom has a clear strategy and is in an excellent financial position. My goal is to work with the Board of Management to further expand this sustainable competitive position and to shape the next phase of our strategic development with the same consistency and reliability as Christian Illek has done so successfully over the past eight years. I would like to thank him for his trust, his support in my career in finance and for his willingness to work closely with me during the transition phase.”
Mladen Mitic, Chief Product & Digital Officer Deutsche Telekom, said, “I’m honored by the trust placed in me to help shape the next generation of our products and customer experiences across Europe. The next decade of telecommunications will be defined by software and AI – they are already changing what our networks and products can do for customers. Deutsche Telekom has the scale, the infrastructure and the trust to lead that shift in Europe. My focus will be to turn that scale into speed, creating simpler, more personal products that make a real difference for our customers. Because ultimately, technology should do one thing: make everyday life better.”
