Orange board to confirm appointment of new chairman on 30 March

The Board of Directors of Orange, at its meeting on 30 March 2022, proposed Jacques Aschenbroich as a new Director of the Group and, from 19 May, as Chairman of the Board. The nomination of Jacques Aschenbroich as a Director will be submitted to the Annual General Meeting of shareholders that will take place on 19 May, following which the Board would meet to elect him as its Non-Executive Chairman.

The Board of Directors expresses its thanks to the Group’s Governance and Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility committee, which oversees appointments, along with the lead independent Director, for conducting a rigorous selection process.

The Board is also proposing to modify the Company’s statutes in order to allow a Chairman reaching 70 years of age during his mandate to complete his term of office, the duration of Directors’ mandates at Orange being four years. All other rules with regard to age limits will remain unchanged.

The Board passed two other resolutions in respect of the Group’s governance. Firstly, it proposed the nomination as Director of Valerie Beaulieu-James, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer and Executive Committee member of the Adecco Group. She will succeed Helle Kristoffersen who is leaving the Board after 11 years and during which time she has taken part in its work with tireless application and has brought to its deliberations throughout her mandate her considerable expertise, in particular in the domain of technology.

The Board also resolved, following a proposal by Christel Heydemann who takes up her role as Chief Executive Officer of Orange on 4 April 2022, to renew the mandate of Ramon Fernandez as Delegate CEO, his current mandate ending on 4 April in the context of the separation of roles. In this role, he will continue to bring his expertise and experience to the Group.

Stéphane Richard, Chairman and Chief Executive of Orange commented: “I wish every success to the tandem formed by Christel Heydemann and Jacques Aschenbroich which will be proposed to shareholders at the next AGM. Two experiences and two sources of energy serving the responsible development of this magnificent Group that I am happy to have served with passion these past twelve years”.

Christel Heydemann, Board member and Orange’s future Chief Executive Officer, said: “I am delighted at the decision of the Board to propose Jacques Aschenbroich as the Chairman of Orange. I’m sure that his long experience on matters of governance will bring much of value to the Group and I’m certain that his international experience and profound knowledge of industry will allow us to write a new chapter in Orange’s rich history together”.

CT Bureau