T-Mobile exec Mike Katz exits after 28 years, as carrier reshuffles top ranks and taps ex-AT&T leader

Mike Katz, who started selling VoiceStream phones at Circuit City 28 years ago and rose to help T-Mobile go from an also-ran into the wireless industry’s most formidable competitor, is leaving the Bellevue, Wash.-based carrier as part of a broader executive reshuffling under CEO Srini Gopalan, who took the helm in November. Katz, T-Mobile’s chief business and product officer, is stepping away to pursue “new professional interests,” the company said in a press release and SEC filing. He’ll remain as a strategic advisor through December 2026. His responsibilities are being split three ways: Chris Sambar, a wireless industry veteran who spent two decades at rival AT&T and most recently served as COO of Public Storage, will join as chief enterprise officer no later than Oct. 14, overseeing T-Mobile’s SMB, enterprise and government businesses. André Almeida is moving into an expanded role as chief marketing, brand and broadband officer. CTO John Saw ‘s purview will grow to include product engineering and cybersecurity. Katz was named last month to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s newly created Economic Development Council, a 26-member panel of business, labor, and tribal leaders. His status on the council following his departure from T-Mobile is unclear. Over his career at T-Mobile, Katz led the company’s business group, where he helped triple the customer base, and later oversaw marketing, strategy and products, shaping some of the carrier’s most recognizable brand moves: T-Mobile Tuesdays, Magenta Status, and others.