Rising Executive at Orange Leaving to Join Accor
Vivek Badrinath to Work Closely With Hotel Group's CEO
The departure of Vivek Badrinath, deputy chief executive of Orange, will deprive the telecom group of a well-regarded executive ahead of a long-expected wave of consolidation in Europe and as the operator has been suffering amid a brutal price war in its home market.
The announcement of Mr. Badrinath's departure could be made as soon as Monday, one of the people said.
Mr. Badrinath has been key to keeping the former state monopoly up to speed on the latest technological developments. Over the past decade, he has risen fast in the ranks of the group, occupying several posts—from head of business services to head of networks—before being put in charge of innovation, marketing and technologies in May last year.
His exit comes at a critical time for Orange's CEO Stephane Richard, who is seeking to stay at the helm of the company for a second term. Orange, along with France's other main telecom groups, has been battling to stem a decline in profits since rival Iliad SA ILD.FR -1.93% launched a mobile service with cutthroat prices two years ago.
Tough competition has also pushed down profits at other European telecom firms and many executives, including Mr. Richard, expect the sector to consolidate in the coming years.
At Accor, Mr. Badrinath will be a key addition as the owner of hotel chains such as Sofitel and Ibis seeks to project a stronger presence on the web and on mobile devices as travelers increasingly book their hotel rooms online.
Mr. Badrinath would work closely with Accor CEO Sebastien Bazin, a former private-equity executive who took the helm of the group in August and is dividing the group into two business poles: one that operates its 14 hotel brands world-wide and the other focused on ownership and investment in hotels.
Mr. Bazin has been on the lookout for an executive to oversee Accor's distribution and marketing since last fall.
An Accor spokeswoman couldn't be reached for comment.
Mari-Noëlle Jégo-Laveissière, currently in charge of research and development at Orange, will replace Mr. Badrinath as head of marketing, innovation and technologies, one of the people said.