“We need leaders with vision and the ability to attract and engage people with different opinions”: Christel Heydemann on the EYL40 programme

Christel Heydemann, alumna of the EYL40 Class of 2014, is the CEO of Orange renowned for her experience in the telecoms sector and in managing business transformations, and the second woman at this level of responsibility in the entire CAC 40 Stock market

As CEO of Orange since April 2022, Christel Heydemann leads a company whose operations span not just Europe, but also much of Africa.

Her move to the French telecommunications giant is the latest step in her rapid rise in the sector: from Alcatel, she joined Schneider Electric in 2014 – the same year she was named a European Young Leader (EYL40). Three years after that, she became Schneider's Vice President for Europe Operations, the post in which she had to face up to the pandemic.

"It was something that nobody thought would happen," she recalls. "Employees' expectation of the company increased: people were scared and needed support. The link with the company and being able to work was very important."

The period highlighted companies' role in society, even if leadership has always been about being prepared.

"As a leader, managing through crises has always been at the top," she says. "But mental health and health generally became an issue – for example, when employees had to work in the field, they had to be protected."

In the wake of the pandemic, leaders are dealing with changing attitudes towards work.

"Now we expect new ways of working, mixing personal and professional times," says Heydemann, citing the phrase 'The Great Resignation' – the trend reported in many countries for workers to resign in large numbers, without necessarily rushing to find a new job.

"I've not met one CEO where I'm not talking about the need to attract talent," she admits.

Now, the war in Ukraine and soaring inflation are highlighting the interdependence of societies.

"All these crises show the links between the company and the rest of society," she reiterates. "We are highly dependent on suppliers and the ability to connect with other sectors."

Resilience and security – including cybersecurity – have emerged as crucial, with telecoms central to that.

"The sector was shown to have even more responsibility," she says. "The war in Ukraine and the geopolitical context of security and sovereignty means this is a very high priority."

Against that backdrop, European Union policymakers' longstanding approach of prioritising competition is, in her view, still inappropriate.

"European policy for telecom has been focused on price, which has held back investment," she argues. "So, there's a disconnect between 5G ambitions and the regulatory environment. Europe is a highly fragmented market compared with the US."

EU officials should, she says, recognise the sector's strategic importance and the pressures it faces.

?"There is rising inflation in telecoms, which are more than ever critical for citizens," she says. "And what about the link between Europe and Africa? We've never been more important to society."

The multiplicity of crises presents many new challenges.

"We live in a highly complex world: even things we took for granted are now at stake," says Heydemann." As a CEO, this context is very important.

"In this highly uncertain environment, more than ever, we need leaders with vision and the ability to attract and engage people with different opinions," she adds, acknowledging that the situation is "even more difficult for political leaders" compared with a few decades back.

"There's a question mark over 'what is Europe?'" she asserts. "It's not easy to get the mechanics working. I hope that we overcome the Ukraine situation and energy crisis – and that we can leverage the current environment to go beyond individual country approaches.

"Europe's diversity means that there is only one way to move forward: for the more privileged to support, or bring on, the less privileged," she continues. "The EU was created in the wake of World War Two, and if we can't cope with the war in Ukraine, there's a question mark over the future of Europe. I don't think Europe can be the same after this war.

"I hope all countries' leaders are convinced of the need for Europe, but with specific topics, the detail is more difficult," she concludes ruefully.

In Heydemann's corporate roles, she has had regular interactions with EU officials, and she describes the EYL40 programme as "a good base" for this.

While her perspective on leadership "has been shaped more by my work experiences" – from overseeing human resources at Alcatel through to Orange – EYL40 did offer "exposure to other European leaders, European construction – beyond what we can read in the media, which is always biased."

EYL40 participants, she notes, are "convinced of the need to tackle problems at a European level" and aware of what this requires.

"Whatever it says in the books, leadership matters: the need to build trust," she says.

On whether the multi-disciplinary nature of the EYL40 network has shaped her understanding of issues, she is clear: "Absolutely! It brings together businesspeople, politicians, scientist, artists, entrepreneurs and large companies. It's very useful because it brings us back to individuals, and understanding each other’s stories and perspectives helps us understand the environment we're in."

In her view, France and Germany – the traditional engines of European integration – are "the two most complex countries to connect" but programmes such as EYL40 embrace other perspectives.

"I had a fantastic meeting in Rome in 2014," she recalls. "It was great to spend time with all the leaders – we took part in some games on roles relating to Europe.

"I've always been a convinced European citizen, even if in my daily work life I am not always focused on that. But EYL40 helped create that background for me as a leader."

Asked to describe the EYL40 network in a few words, she responds with: "A very diverse group of leaders, all convinced of the need for a stronger Europe, but also the challenges that Europe is facing, what they can contribute."

And in two words? "European commitment," she replies, without hesitation.