Telefonica Deutschland said on Sunday its supervisory board has appointed Markus Haas to lead the company from 2017, replacing chief executive Thorsten Dirks who announced in November he was leaving the telecoms firm. Haas, 44, a lawyer who has been with the company since 1998 and is currently chief operating officer, will lead the telecoms company in close cooperation with finance chief Rachel Empey. Telefonica, controlled by Spain’s Telefonica, said Haas would start his new role on Jan. 1 with a three-year contract.