Who is Christel Heydemann, the new CEO of Orange?

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06/01/2023
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Aurélien Fleurot, modified toChristel Heydemann succeeded Stéphane Richard at the head of the Orange group. She thus becomes the third woman at the head of a CAC 40 group. What challenges await the former Vice-President Europe of Schneider Electric, who will take office on April 4? In the line of sight, fiber, competition but also the recruitment of new staff.

His name had been in the news for days. Last November, Stéphane Richard tendered his resignation as president of the Orange group. In his succession, we find Christel Heydemann. “Very happy to welcome Christel Heydemann, future CEO of Orange,” he announced on Twitter. What are the challenges awaiting the new leader of the telecom giant?

Aged 47, Christel Heydemann will first have to drive the transformation of the company, attract talent and train employees in new professions. On the social level, still very sensitive at Orange, an intergenerational agreement was reached at the end of 2021 to regulate the reduction of the group's workforce. There will be early departures, but also 8,000 recruitments by 2024, half of whom will be under 30 years old. Another sensitive issue: the announced end of the copper network, replaced by fiber.

Who is Christel Heydemann, the new director CEO of Orange?

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But 20 million French people, and in particular companies, still depend on this historic network. It will be necessary to operate the switchover from 2023.

The challenge of winning against the competition

Among the emergencies, Christel Heydemann will find on her desk the Spain file, Orange's second largest market after France, and where the results have been very bad in recent months, as low-cost competition has gained ground. He will also have to clarify the positioning of Orange Banque. In all, 1.6 million customers, but the activity does not really take off five years after its launch.

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Lastly, a major challenge for the coming years is cybersecurity. The Orange Cyberdefense subsidiary is considered a nugget. Its IPO has been under consideration. The new boss will quickly have to look into it. Many challenges for the third woman at the head of a CAC 40 group.