Orange on Wednesday announced the appointment of four new CEOs at four of its operations in Africa and the Middle East.
The announcement comes as the France-based telco renews its focus on the region, with the creation of a dedicated Middle East and Africa business unit this summer, and the recent news that it is working on the potential acquisition of new businesses there.
Orange has named new chief executives for its businesses in Guinea, Mali, Jordan and Senegal. The changes form part of what Orange terms its "international mobility policy" and come at the expiry of the terms in office of the previous CEOs.
Effective 13 September, Éric Bouquillon becom es CEO of Orange Guinea, Alassane Diene takes over as CEO of Orange Mali, Jérôme Hénique becomes CEO of Jordan Telecom, and Thierry Marigny takes the role of deputy CEO of Sonatel in Senegal (further details below). All are internal appointments.
"The new CEOs all have significant executive experience in the telecommunications industry," said Marc Rennard, EVP for Africa, the Middle East and Asia at Orange.
"Their contribution will be vital for the Orange group, which is accelerating its growth in Africa and the Middle East," Rennard said.
Indeed, in July Orange announced the creation of a new legal entity that will house its operations in the Middle East and Africa and help it to build its business in the region.
The telco said it could look to welcome strategic or financial investors into the business and has not ruled out the possibility of a flotation. It also indicated that acquisitions could be an option.
Later that month Orange confirmed that it is holding exclusive talks with Bharti Airtel with a view to acquiring four of the Indian operator’s businesses in Africa.
Any deal would cover Bharti Airtel’s operations in Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville and Sierra Leone, although there is no certainty the pair will reach agreement.
The new appointments:
• Éric Bouquillon has been appointed CEO of Orange Guinea, replacing Alassane Diene.
• Alassane Diene has been appointed CEO of Orange Mali, replacing Jean-Luc Bohé.
• Jérôme Hénique has been appointed CEO of Jordan Telecom, replacing Jean-François Thomas.
• Thierry Marigny has been appointed deputy CEO of Sonatel in Senegal, replacing J érôme Hénique.
