Orange has drawn up a shortlist of three to replace Richard, claims report

French Telco giant Orange has reportedly drawn up a shortlist of three candidates to replace Stéphane Richard as CEO.

According to a report from Reuters, the shortlist is made up of Orange finance boss Ramon Fernandez, Schneider Electric’s European head and Orange board member Christel Heydemann and Verizon chief revenue officer Frank Boulben.

The company has said that it would appoint both a new CEO and chairman by the end of January, though sources cited by the Reuters report cast doubt on the timeline. It notes that the tight schedule may make it difficult to replace Richard by January 31.

The report goes on to note that the French government, which holds a 23% stake in the operator, may ignore the formal process altogether and appoint another candidate of its choosing. The report does not mention any candidates favoured by the government.

Richard was forced to resign in November 2021 after he was convicted of involvement in a €400 million fraud case. The business exec was convicted of complicity in fraud and misuse of public funds in 2008, was fined €50,000 and given a one-year suspended prison sentence.