TM Forum adds Deutsche Telekom & T-Mobile US leaders

TM Forum has appointed two senior telecoms executives to its Board of Trustees, adding Deutsche Telekom Group CIO Kanwardeep "KD" Singh and T-Mobile US EVP and Chief Network Officer Ankur Kapoor.

The board appointments expand representation from two of the world's largest mobile operators at a time when the industry is increasing its focus on automation, data and artificial intelligence in network and IT operations. TM Forum is a membership body that brings together communications service providers, vendors and technology companies around common frameworks and operating models.

Singh will sit on the Board of Trustees and the Mission Board for Composable IT and Ecosystems. Kapoor will join the Board of Trustees and the Autonomous Networks Mission Board. TM Forum has three strategic mission areas, including autonomous networks and composable IT.

Steffen Roehn, Chairman of TM Forum, said the organisation wanted additional experience at board level as members push for new operating approaches.

"Reinforcing our Board with the knowledge and experience required to guide our organization and its Members is critical for the future," said Steffen Roehn, Chairman, TM Forum. "KD and Ankur bring the bold leadership, practical experience, and restless ambition we need as we help the industry navigate the most transformative decade in its history."

Board priorities

TM Forum's Board of Trustees sets direction, priorities and themes for the organisation's work programme. It also oversees how the forum serves its members and the wider industry. The board is structured to reflect different geographies and segments, including service providers, suppliers, integrators and technology companies.

The two appointees have operational roles at their respective groups. Singh oversees IT at Deutsche Telekom, which operates networks and consumer and enterprise services across Europe and the US. Kapoor leads network operations at T-Mobile US, which has positioned itself as a large-scale 5G operator in the US market.

The forum has been pushing industry alignment around network automation and architecture standards. One area has been its Open Digital Architecture, which sets out building blocks for modular systems and common interfaces across telecoms software stacks. Another area has been its autonomous network work, including a validation programme that benchmarks levels of automation in operational processes.

Singh linked his focus to simplification and data foundations in a statement about his role at TM Forum.

"AI is changing our industry, but progress depends on the choices we make in how we build it. Intelligence and autonomy come from trust in data and systems that work at scale. We can move faster by adding complexity or move forward by simplifying with purpose. TM Forum brings the industry together to make those choices deliberately. My role is to help ensure we advance with clarity, not just momentum," said KD Singh, Group CIO, Deutsche Telekom.

Autonomous networks

Kapoor's appointment ties into the forum's work on autonomous networks and operational models. TM Forum and its members have been mapping the shift from manually operated networks to systems that can detect issues, predict failures and take action with less human intervention. Operators have also been updating network architectures with cloud-native software and automated processes.

Kapoor said TM Forum's role was centred on shared frameworks and practical execution models for the sector.

"TM Forum plays a critical role in bringing the industry together around shared architectures, standards, and execution models," said Ankur Kapoor, EVP & Chief Network Officer, T-Mobile. "At T-Mobile, we're focused on building AI-native, intent-based networks that can adapt in real time, scale efficiently, and deliver consistently great customer experiences. Through my work on the Board, I look forward to helping accelerate industry alignment - from autonomous operations today to the architectural foundations that will define the path to 6G."

In addition to recent changes within its board, TM Forum has announced a key appointment tied to its autonomous networks programme. Kim Krogh Andersen, the Group Executive for Product and Technology at Telstra, has been appointed as the co-chair of the Autonomous Networks Mission Board. This move reinforces the organisation's focus on advancing self-managing network capabilities across the industry.

TM Forum currently boasts a membership of over 800 entities spanning the telecommunications and broader technology sectors. This diverse group includes the world's ten largest communications service providers alongside major hyperscale cloud companies.

As a central industry body, TM Forum remains instrumental in standardising APIs, data models, and process frameworks, which serve as essential benchmarks for global operators and suppliers during large-scale digital transformation initiatives.

The organisation's next significant event, DTW Ignite 2026, is scheduled to take place in Copenhagen. This summit aims to bring together operators, technology providers, and strategic partners to deliberate on the future of AI-native operations and the evolving architectures required for modernised telecommunications infrastructure.