Christian Illek
T-Mobile USAbout Christian P. Illek
Christian P. Illek (age 60) has served on T-Mobile US, Inc.’s Board since 2018. He is Chief Financial Officer of Deutsche Telekom AG (DT) and previously served as DT’s Chief Human Resources Officer; he also chaired supervisory boards of DT subsidiaries, and earlier led Microsoft Germany and held roles at Telekom Deutschland, Bain, and Dell . He is designated to the TMUS Board by DT and is not independent under NASDAQ rules; DT is TMUS’s controlling stockholder with extensive governance rights .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deutsche Telekom AG | Chief Financial Officer; previously Chief Human Resources Officer | CFO since Jan 2019; CHRO Apr 2015–Dec 2018 | Finance leadership; HR and transformation oversight |
| Telekom Deutschland | Director of Marketing; Chair, Supervisory Board | Marketing Apr 2010–Sep 2012; Supervisory Chair current | Marketing and product oversight; governance of German operating unit |
| Deutsche Telekom Services Europe | Chair, Supervisory Board | Jan 2019–Feb 2024 | Shared services governance |
| T-Systems International | Chair, Supervisory Board | Nov 2016–Jun 2021 | Enterprise IT services governance |
| Microsoft Germany | Chairman of the Management Board (CEO) | Sep 2012–Mar 2015 | Country leadership, go-to-market |
| Bain & Company; Dell | Managerial positions | Not specified | Strategy and operations roles |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deutsche Telekom AG | Group CFO | Jan 2019–present | DT designates TMUS directors and holds consent rights under Stockholders’ Agreement |
| Telekom Deutschland | Chair, Supervisory Board | Current | DT subsidiary governance |
| No other public company boards disclosed | — | — | TMUS proxy does not list other public-company directorships for Illek |
Board Governance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Independence status | Not independent (affiliated with DT) |
| DT designation | DT has right to designate up to 10 directors; Illek is one of DT’s designees |
| Committee memberships | Compensation; CEO Selection; Executive; Transaction |
| 2024 committee meetings attended (by committee) | Compensation: 6; CEO Selection: 1; Executive: 0*; Transaction: 3 (*per charter, meets as needed) |
| Board attendance | Board met 5 times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings; all directors attended 2024 annual meeting |
| Controlled company | TMUS is a NASDAQ “controlled company”; certain committees may include non-independent directors |
| Lead independent director | Teresa A. Taylor; independent committee chairs |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | TMUS Non-Employee Director Program | Illek Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $143,000 (effective June 13, 2024) | Not eligible (program excludes DT officers; Illek is DT CFO) |
| Committee chair/member retainers | Audit Chair $60,000; Comp Chair $25,000; Nom/Gov Chair $20,000; Audit member +$15,000 | Not eligible |
| Meeting fees | Board $3,000; Committee $2,000 | Not eligible |
| Phone perquisite | Up to 2 handsets/year and up to 10 lines | Not eligible |
TMUS pays non-employee directors only; “non-employee directors” exclude DT officers. As DT CFO, Illek is not in TMUS’s director pay program . The 2024 non-employee compensation table includes only independent directors; Illek is not listed, consistent with ineligibility .
Performance Compensation
| Component | Detail |
|---|---|
| Annual RSUs (non-employee director grant) | $255,000 grant value; 1-year vest; change-in-control immediate vest |
| Illek participation | Not eligible (DT officer, not a non-employee director) |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- DT controls ~58.9% voting power at TMUS (including SoftBank proxy) and designates directors; interests of DT may differ from other stockholders .
- Stockholders’ Agreement gives DT consent rights over major actions (debt above leverage threshold, >$1B M&A, equity issuances >10%, CEO hiring/termination, etc.) and information rights; DT must obtain Audit Committee approval for related-party transactions .
- Compensation Committee interlocks: Committee included Illek in 2024; proxy states no interlock requiring disclosure under Item 407(e)(4) occurred .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Expertise in global telecommunications; business, cybersecurity, HR, and finance; education in Chemistry and Business Administration .
- Tenure on TMUS Board since 2018; not independent .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian P. Illek | — | — | No TMUS shares reported as of Mar 31, 2025 |
| Hedging/pledging policy | Prohibits options, hedging, short sales, pledging; exception noted only for Marcelo Claure’s legacy pledge |
Insider Trades
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Section 16(a) compliance | Proxy notes two late Form 4 filings (Almeida, Nelson); no delinquency noted for Illek |
| Form 4 transactions disclosed | No specific Illek transactions disclosed in the proxy |
Governance Assessment
- Committee roles and engagement: Illek sits on Compensation, CEO Selection, Executive, and Transaction committees, indicating high involvement in key decisions (compensation strategy; CEO oversight; strategic transactions) . Independent chairs mitigate some risks (e.g., Compensation Chair independent) .
- Independence and conflicts: As DT CFO and DT-designated, Illek is not independent; DT’s extensive rights and related-party arrangements create inherent conflict risks versus minority holders. Audit Committee oversight and policy on related-party transactions are mitigating elements, but DT’s consent rights over major corporate actions concentrate influence .
- Alignment signals: Illek does not receive TMUS director cash or equity, and reports no TMUS share ownership, limiting direct “skin-in-the-game” at TMUS. Non-employee director stock ownership guidelines do not apply to DT-affiliated directors .
- Attendance: Board/committee attendance met minimum expectations in 2024; full director attendance at annual meeting supports engagement .
Red flags
- Not independent; senior executive of controlling stockholder (DT) .
- DT consent rights and related-party transactions can constrain Board autonomy and create perceived conflicts of interest .
- No direct TMUS equity ownership disclosed for Illek; limited alignment with minority shareholders via TMUS stock .