After three years at the helm of Orange’s Africa division, Jérôme Hénique is stepping down to take over as CEO of Orange France. He will be succeeded on July 1, 2025, by Yasser Shaker, the current CEO of Orange Egypt, whose appointment was officially announced on Monday, May 5.
Shaker will also join the board of directors of Orange MEA (Middle East and Africa) starting June 1, before joining the Group Executive Committee. For Christel Heydemann, CEO of Orange, the choice is grounded in confidence: “His extensive experience and deep knowledge of the region will be essential to driving our continued growth,” she stated.
A telecommunications engineer trained at Cairo University and holder of an MBA from Rennes School of Business, Yasser Shaker brings over 25 years of experience in the tech industry. He began his career in satellite communications before joining Orange, where he led technological innovation for the MEA region, and then took over the Egyptian subsidiary in 2018.
Under his leadership, Orange Egypt achieved record growth and profitability despite challenging macroeconomic conditions. His new mission will be to continue transforming Orange MEA into a leading multi-service operator, with a focus on mobile data, mobile financial services, cybersecurity, tech innovation, and energy.
In 2024, the MEA division, which operates in 16 African countries as well as Jordan, generated €7.683 billion in revenue, an 11.1% increase compared to the previous year.