Telecoms

Telefónica opens UK Office to boost Europe strategy plans

02 February 2026
3 minutes
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Mario Martín, leader of new Telefónica UK office (Image: Telefónica)
Mario Martín, leader of new Telefónica UK office (Image: Telefónica)

Telefónica commits to executing its Strategic Plan in Europe by launching a UK Office. Based in London, the new office will report directly to Emilio Gayo, chief operating officer (COO) at Telefónica.

Telefónica’s new UK Office will also aim to support the execution of the strategic priorities laid out in Transform & Grow, promote a more integrated operational management of the Group’s UK assets and boost coordination with the Group’s areas and business units that support our UK operations.

Ultimately, the goal is to maximise long-term value creation in one of Telefónica’s four key markets.

“By opening up this UK Office, we emphasise our commitment to Europe and to a disciplined execution of our Strategic Plan,” said COO Emilio Gayo. “The UK is a strategic market for our Group and we aim to have a structure there that allows us to stay closer to business, support value creation and ensure management decisions are aligned with our industrial and financial priorities.”

Mario Martín will lead the new London Office, Telefónica said, using its 30 years of experience working within the Telefónica Group. He holds a strong track record in industrial management, strategic partnerships and value creation – having formerly been CEO at Telxius, in addition to over executive roles.

With Telefónica, he was previously chief Asia regional officer in China and played a critical role in establishing the company’s strategic alliance with China Unicom. Additionally, he was also M&A director at the Group and played an active role in deals like the acquisition of O2.

Alongside his new responsibilities, Martín is also joining the board of directors at VMO2 to strengthen the Group’s strategic alignment and governance in one of its main European markets.

The news comes as Telefónica works to bolster European growth, with its German division holding a robust RAN deal to advance 5G with Nokia. Nokia’s AI-powered solutions are supporting Telefónica’s strategy to transform its operations and network performance using AI.

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