Stéphane Richard

From 2007 until 2009 he was Chief of Staff to Christine Lagarde, then French Minister for the Economy, Industry, and Employment.

Richard joined Orange in September 2009, becoming Deputy Chief Executive.

Richard became Chief Executive of Orange S.A. on 1 March 2011. In 2019, Orange voted to renew his mandate.[4]

• Nexity, Member of the Board of Directors

• GSMA, Chairman (since 2019)
• European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT), Member[5]

In 2007 there were rumors of an imminent arrest warrant for tax fraud.[6] By early 2019, French state prosecutors called for Richard to be sentenced to three years in jail — with half the time suspended — as well as a €100,000 fine and a five-year ban on any work for the state.[7]

In June 2015, Richard said in Egypt that he would like to withdraw the Orange brand from Israel as soon as possible, but that the move would take time. “Our intention is to withdraw from Israel. It will take time” but “for sure we will do it,” he said. “I am ready to do this tomorrow morning… but without exposing Orange to huge risks.”[8]

In response, a wide range of Israeli politicians condemned his statements and called on the French government to oppose antisemitism. Miri Regev said: "On the backdrop of the recent serious events in France, the French government must show zero tolerance for anti-Semitism," said Regev, in reference to the growing wave of anti-Semitic violence in the France that was highlighted in January by a Muslim holding a kosher supermarket hostage in Paris and murdering four Jews. "I call on Jews of France and the world to disconnect from Orange unless Stephane Richard takes back his words. The time has come for them to understand that Jews in the world and sane voices that oppose anti-Semitism and racism also have power."[9] Yair Lapid said of Richard, ““This is hypocrisy of the highest order... Israel is an island of sanity in the world's toughest neighborhood, and we are not prepared to be lectured on morality from Europeans who live a quiet, untroubled life.”[10]

Israel's president Reuvin Rivlin said of Stéphane Richard: "Disturbingly, I have yet to hear condemnations from France's heads of state of the statements by the CEO of France Telecom like those I heard from Britain, and I expect their voices to be heard here in Israel, in Cairo, and the entire world."[11]

Richard rejected the accusation of antisemitism and went on the record to say, "We [Orange] love Israel. This has absolutely nothing to do with the kind of political debate in which I don't want to be." He said that the decision to withdraw from Israel was purely a business decision, not a political decision. The decision was to disallow companies to license the Orange brand that does not use Orange's services, which is the practice of the Israeli company Partner. Orange plans not to renew its contract with Partner once the terms of the contract are complete.[12] Richard also said that Orange has connections in Israel in other capacities aside from their deal with Partner and that they intend to keep and foster these relationships.[13]

On 5 January 2016 Partner officially announced that it is severing ties with France's Orange and is receiving €90 million compensation from Orange for the damaging comments by Orange CEO Stephane Richard.[14]