This is an important new start at the helm of Orange. According to various sources close to the group, the CEO of Orange France will leave her post. Fabienne Dulac has held this position since 2015 and she is expected to resign effective April 1. She should stay a few more months in Orange with the group’s CEO, Christel Heydemann.
Fabienne Dulac will be replaced internally by Jean-François Fallacher. He currently heads the Spanish subsidiary of Orange which is in the process of merging with its competitor Mas Móvil. Contacted, Orange declined to comment on our information.
Fabienne Dulac’s march had already been circulating for several months in Orange when she had been in charge of the French subsidiary for eight years. A record in this company where management with the powerful Orange unions is complex. The group’s main contributor, Orange France generates 40% of its turnover.
The financial director will also leave
This is the second major change in the Orange government since the departure of Stéphane Richard last year and the arrival of Christel Heydemann. Last month, CFO Ramón Fernández announced that he would join shipowner CMA CGM. According to various sources, a complete review of the group’s management will be announced on February 16 during the presentation of the strategic plan.
These movements are also part of this new page in the history of the group. Arriving at the CEO of Orange in April 2022, Christel Heydemann presents: “finally!” we listen internally-to his road map. The Board of Directors held a two-day strategy seminar early last week. Details have not been finalized and will be at their next meeting on February 15. But the general lines are clear: refocus on the telecommunications business and improve financial performance.
Some sales have started. The sale to Canal+ of OCS, the film content subsidiary, had already been launched last year. Orange Bank’s is ongoing. On the other hand, according to various sources, the IPO of the African subsidiary has been put on hold. “2023 is going to be a difficult year, this is not the time to make big strategic moves,” said someone close to management. “The president of Orange said that an IPO could take place within the framework of an alliance,” adds another. The former CEO, Stéphane Richard, had planned to bring Orange Afrique closer to the same activities of competitor Vodafone, which are complementary. The British operator is also evolving.
reduce costs
Same reasoning for the subsidiary dedicated to mobile antennas “Totem”. Previous management had planned to open up its capital to investors to improve it and raise cash. This project is also on hold for the short term.
Orange’s new strategic plan will emphasize financial performance, lower costs to increase margins. A vision embodied by the group’s new president, Jacques Aschenbroich. The CEO focuses more on negotiating a new regulation, aimed at increasing the rental prices of Orange’s fixed and mobile networks, both to competitors SFR, Bouygues and Free, as well as to Internet giants Google, Facebook or Netflix. “One will type the expenses, the other will withdraw money,” jokes a good connoisseur of the group.
Orange is going through a difficult year in a sector without growth and with cost inflation. For example, its energy bill increased last year by almost 300 million euros. The recovery of the margins of Orange France will be at the center of the new plan, like those of the Spanish subsidiary that has just returned to growth.
Source: BFM TV
