By Cristina Gallardo


Eutelsat appointed Jean-François Fallacher as its new chief executive officer, amid growing interest within the European Union for alternative satellite systems to Starlink.

The French satellite operator said Monday that Fallacher's appointment will be effective on June 1.

Fallacher will join Eutelsat from telecommunications company Orange, where he served as executive vice president and CEO of Orange France. Prior to that, he led Orange's operations in several countries, including Spain, Romania and Poland.

Eutelsat, which merged with the OneWeb broadband constellation in 2023, said in March that it was committed to boosting Europe's autonomy in satellite-based connectivity and supply internet access to Ukraine, amid concerns Elon Musk could shut down Starlink in the war-torn country.

Fallacher will succeed Danish engineer Eva Berneke.

"Technology is evolving faster than ever, and in today's increasingly complex geopolitical context, satellite networks have become a key element in the connectivity landscape," Fallacher said.

Orange said Jerome Henique, currently executive vice president and CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, will take over from Fallacher as CEO of Orange France from June 1.

Yasser Shaker, CEO of Orange Egypt, will become executive vice president, and CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, effective from July 1, the group added.


Write to Cristina Gallardo at cristina.gallardo@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

05-05-25 0243ET