Rob Willcock returns to Orange to head international business; Lauren Leboucher, Orange Group’s CTO, becomes Chair of the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance
Rob Willcock (pictured) has been appointed CEO International at Orange Business, effective 1 March. He is responsible for the company’s position “as a leading network and digital integrator, and a trusted partner for multinational and large national customers outside France”.
His two key priorities will be business development and excellent customer service. He is based in the UK and replaces Kristof Symons who is leaving the company after 17 years.
Willcock has more than 25 years’ experience in senior business and technology roles, including multiple management positions at Orange, having led consulting, business development and global customer programmes across several regions.
His most recent positions within Orange Business were President for the Americas for five years and Managing Director for the UK and Ireland for three years. Willcock returns to Orange Business after a three-year stint as Group Chief Commercial Officer at Flowbird Group, which specialises in urban mobility and smart cities.
“I am excited to be back at Orange Business. The company provides an unbeatable combination of technology, scale, expertise, feet on the ground, and global solutions that can enhance every facet of a customer’s business. I look forward to guiding our international customers on that journey,” said Willcock.
“Rob’s ability to adapt, innovate, and lead with purpose makes him the perfect choice to head our international teams. I have no doubt his leadership will continue to elevate our business, enabling us to deliver even greater value to our customers worldwide,” said Aliette Mousnier-Lompré, CEO, Orange Business.
Chair of the NGMN Alliance Board
Laurent Leboucher (pictured below), Orange Group’s CTO and Executive Vice President Networks, is to serve a two-year term as head of the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN).
Leboucher succeeds Arash Ashouriha, SVP, Group Technology at Deutsche Telekom, who concludes a four-year tenure.
“We look forward to continue working with Laurent on our focus topics disaggregation, sustainability and advancing beyond 5G,” said Anita Döhler, CEO of NGMN Alliance. “His extensive industry expertise and leadership will be instrumental in guiding the Alliance’s work as we focus on sustainable, incremental network evolution towards 6G, also considering automation and AI.”
“I am honoured to take on this role and excited to support NGMN in uniting operators, vendors, academia and the wider ecosystem to shape the future of mobile networks,” said Leboucher. “The next two years are pivotal as we work towards network simplification and a smooth transition beyond 5G, towards 6G.
“With 6G standardisation work starting this year, NGMN will play a vital role in providing the industry with the necessary requirements to drive global alignment. The risk of ecosystem fragmentation makes global standards and industry cooperation more important than ever. NGMN is uniquely positioned to bring the industry landscape together and help shaping a unified, future-ready network architecture.”
