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Markus Haas:Chairman of the Management Board Telefónica Germany

Markus Haas has been with the company since 1998 and has been CEO of Telefónica Deutschland since January 2017. Prior to this, he was Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the operating business since 2014. The fully qualified lawyer began his career in the company - at that time still Viag Interkom - in 1998 as a Legal and Regulatory Officer. In 2009 he became a member of the management board, and since 2012 he has been a member of the board of Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG. From start-up to market leader Markus Haas has accompanied the company like no other from the very beginning - more than that, he has played a major role in the success story of Telefónica in Germany. Started out as the start-up Viag Interkom, O2 Telefónica serves more than 45 million mobile lines. No other mobile communications provider in Germany connects as many people as O2 Telefónica.

Designer of milestones

  • Deployment of a high-performance 5G network
  • Completion of the integration of Telefónica Deutschland and E-Plus (2019)
  • Full realization and substantially exceeding of the forecast integration synergies of EUR 900 million (2019)

 

  • Spectrum auctions (2000, 2010, 2015, 2019)
  • Successful IPO (2012)
  • Integration of HanseNet (2009)
  • Conclusion of strategic partnerships with Deutsche Telekom, Drillisch, Versatel and Vodafone, among others

Innovator

Markus Haas is an opinion leader and takes a clear position. He analyses and evaluates the major social, economic and political trends of our time like hardly any other manager in the telecommunications industry. From this he derives concrete entrepreneurial action. This results in numerous innovations and disruptive offers to our customers, which have significantly shaped the mobile communications market in recent years - even beyond Germany's borders.

A sustainable, digital future for all

Thanks to Telefónica Deutschland / O2, people can use the achievements of digitization anytime and anywhere - in a way that suits their individual wishes, preferences and habits. The trampoline for this and for further advances in digitization is a high-performance network. At the same time, our digital infrastructures are the basis for sustainable development to tackle the climate crisis. That is why we are making annual investments worth billions. With the 5G rollout, Markus Haas and Telefónica Deutschland are playing a decisive role in shaping Germany's sustainable digital future.

Disruptive mastermind

  • Revolutionary offers such as O2 Free and O2 Free Unlimited offer unchecked high surfing speeds at attractive prices without rigid contract terms
  • Consistent and rapid advancement of network expansion ensures stable networks, satisfied customers and good results in network tests
  • Pioneer of a fast 5G rollout for business and society:
    • Campus network for Mercedes-Benz Cars' Factory 56 as an example of innovation for the automotive industry
  • A clear commitment to digitization as an opportunity to overcome the climate crisis through digital efficiency gains and resource savings
  • Uncompromising commitment to data sovereignty: individual self-determination as the ultimate goal
  • A plea for fair cooperation between government and business: Cooperation of all parties involved for a competitive digital infrastructure in Germany

Photos & VITA

Curriculum vitae Markus Haas

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chairman of the Executive Board Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG Member of the Executive Committee of Telefónica S.A Markus Haas has been Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG since January 2017 and a member of the Management Board since September 2012. From 2014 to 2017, he led the company's core operating business as Chief Operating Officer (COO). His responsibilities as COO also included the operational integration of Telefónica and E-Plus following the acquisition in 2014 and the associated successful realization of the expected synergies. Most recently, under his overall leadership of the company, Telefónica once again revolutionized the mobile market in Germany with the launch of O2 Free, by far the most customer-friendly mobile data product.

 

The fully qualified lawyer has worked for Telefónica since 1998. In 2009, he became a member of the Executuve Board. He played a key role in shaping the acquisition and integration of HanseNet, the LTE spectrum auction and the successful IPO in 2012 of Telefónica Deutschland. Under his negotiating leadership, commercially important, strategic partnerships were concluded, including with Deutsche Telekom AG, Versatel GmbH and with Drillisch AG. Markus Haas began his career as in the company's Legal and Regulatory division in 1998 - then Viag Interkom - and subsequently as Executive Assistant to the CFO. He then headed the Corporate & Legal Affairs department as Vice President with commercial responsibility for the roaming and wholesale network operator business. Markus Haas was born in Munich in 1972 and lives with his family in Munich.