Eleven years of presidency of Orange, and as many general meetings.
But this one had a particular flavor for Stéphane Richard: it was his last as president of the group, of which he was no longer general manager since April 4 and the arrival of Christel Heydemann in this position.
Read alsoStéphane Richard, outgoing CEO of Orange, joins the investment bank Perella Weinberg
The passing of the baton was to be a simple formality.
The details of the votes on two resolutions generated some tension within the group and among the shareholders. The first relates to the remuneration of Christel Heydemann, the second to a postponement of the age limit allowing Jacques Aschenbroich, the new chairman of the group, to complete his full four-year term, beyond the 70 years he will reach in two years.
But only a detailed analysis of the results of the votes makes it possible to unseal some frictions.
The state shareholder voted in favor of these resolutions, as did the employee shareholders, which is not the case for all the other shareholders, in particular certain funds.
Sébastien Crozier, CFE-CGC, reacted immediately,
Read alsoChristel Heydemann is already imposing his style on the general management of Orange
Stéphane Richard took a few minutes to take stock of his years at the head of the incumbent operator.
A statement as personal as it is professional.
The opportunity to summarize a decade in telecoms.
In ten years, the world of telcos has seen the arrival of 4G, fiber, smartphones, all-purpose connectivity, but also cyberattacks, environmental challenges, the explosion of data traffic... He wanted to pay tribute to the group's 140,000 employees, citing a few of the many professions.
“
It was a huge privilege to have been their captain
he said, his voice heavy with emotion.
He has also devoted the past few weeks to bidding farewell to the employees, chaining visits to sites in France, Europe and Africa.
A farewell tour worthy of a rock singer, punctuated by selfies with employees, applause, even a few tears shed.
Shareholders were more reserved in their applause.
“
I sincerely believe that Orange is stronger today than twelve years ago
,” he added, before expressing “
all his wishes for success
” to Christel Heydemann.
She succeeds him at the desk, with a determined step, a firm voice.
She logically began her speech by welcoming Stéphane Richard's action and renewing his commitment to lead the company.
Scopelec, Orange Bank... the questions from angry shareholders
The assignment of questions and answers was also an opportunity for the new boss of Orange to give some explanations on the situation of Scopelec.
A topical subject, while around fifty employees of this company and union representatives had come to demonstrate in front of the Salle Pleyel, where the GA was held.
Orange management reiterated its commitment and support for its subcontractors, considering that “
Scopelec's difficulties go beyond Orange
”.
"
Action plans are carried out with everyone, subcontractors and internal teams, to improve the quality of service
", added Fabienne Dulac.
Attacked on the performance of Orange Bank, Stéphane Richard - once again - explained that the telecom sector has not generated growth in Europe for many years.
The bank is therefore “
a new territory
” to conquer for Orange.
"
For 100 acts carried out in telecoms by Orange teams, 45 banking acts are carried out
", explained Paul Deleuze, the boss of Orange Bank, adding that it would take "
less than ten years to achieve profitability
".
