Orange Romania announces the appointment of Julien Ducarroz as CEO, starting on 1st September 2023. Liudmila Climoc, currently CEO of Orange Romania, will take over from Julien Ducarroz as CEO of Orange Poland from the same date.
With this appointment, under the approval of the local Board of Directors, Julien Ducarroz returns to Romania, where he worked between 2007-2016. He started his career in Orange Romania as Strategy Director, and since 2009 he has led the sales, marketing, digital and brand communication teams as Chief Commercial Officer. During his previous mandate in Romania, he made a major contribution to the launch of Orange TV and 4G services and strengthened the leading position of the Orange brand. In 2016, he was appointed CEO of Orange Moldova, and since 2020 he has been CEO of Orange Poland. Under his leadership, Orange Poland launched and implemented the growth strategy ‘.Grow’. Thanks to the company’s strong business base, with an emphasis on innovation and a transformation process focused around the green agenda, ‘Grow’ led to an acceleration of financial and commercial results and the consolidation of the Orange Poland’s market position.
Under the leadership of Julien Ducarroz, Orange Poland implemented its landmark project, a fiber joint venture, which ensured the extension of the fiber optic footprint and helped combat digital exclusion in Poland. In the last three years, Orange Poland has become the leading supplier of smart city solutions in the country and has strengthened its position on the wholesale market. The company fulfilled its key milestones for environmental protection two years ahead of plan, achieving 65% renewable energy resources.
During his 22-year career in the Orange Group, Julien Ducarroz gained experience in several European markets. He graduated from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic Institute in Zurich, being born in Switzerland.
‘Thanks to his passion and skills, Julien made impactful changes at Orange Poland in this mandate. He developed a strategy during these recent turbulent years and delivered both financial and commercial results successfully, above expectations, allowing the company to grow and strengthen its market position despite challenging headwinds. I’d like to thank Julien for leading the Orange Poland team with unflagging energy throughout the difficult time of the pandemic and amidst the turbulence brought on by the macro-economic and geo-political environment stemming from in the war in Ukraine. I am convinced that he will address any challenges in Romania just as successfully’, said Mari-Noëlle Jégo-Laveissière, Executive Vice President, CEO of Orange in Europe (outside France). ‘In her seven years of leadership, Liudmila and her team in Romania have been the protagonists of many ‘firsts’, such as the launch of 5G services, showing creativity, enthusiasm, and unlimited resources of energy. More importantly, Liudmila ran the transformation of Orange Romania from a mobile to a convergent operator. She’s a skilled leader, and I’m confident in her power to deliver sustainable growth and continue Julien’s mission in Poland’, she added.
Liudmila Climoc will take over, from 1 September 2023, as CEO of Orange Poland, which represents her third post as CEO in her career. With 25 years of experience in telecommunications, Liudmila became the CEO of Orange Moldova in 2008, and in 2016 was appointed the CEO of Orange Romania. During her mandate, Orange Romania went through a complex transformation from a mobile-only company into a fully integrator operator, a journey that started in 2016 with the launch of the first convergent services for residential customers, and continued with the expansion of fibre optic coverage across the country. In 2021, the company accelerated its convergent strategy by acquiring the majority stake of Orange Romania Communications. Today, as a result, Orange Romania offers convergent services and integrated digital solutions to both residential customers as well as corporate local businesses.
With a keen focus on innovation, Liudmila Climoc and her team provided Romanian customers access to the newest technologies and services and enabled the development of a complex local 5G ecosystem. Romania was the first country in the Orange Group to launch 5G, and it has opened two 5G labs in major Romanian cities that act as innovation hubs for the research and startup community. At the same time, Orange ICT solutions contribute to the development of large-scale projects and to the technological advance of companies in Romania. Under her leadership, Orange Romania’s digital line of business was consolidated, and YOXO was launched as a 100% digital proposition becoming a love brand, very popular amongst users of all ages. Due to her focus on customer experience and delivering premium quality for connectivity, Orange Romania is now the #1 network with the fastest fixed and mobile 5G, consolidating its leading position in the market.
‘Romania is one of the most competitive markets in Europe and I am grateful for the chance that I have had to build together with my team so many projects that are both innovative and impactful. I’m delighted to welcome Julien back to his home, in Romania. The Romanian team has the best telecommunications professionals in the country and I am sure that under Julien’s leadership, it will continue to reach new heights and milestones’, says Liudmila Climoc, CEO of Orange Romania.