As Eutelsat moves into the next phase after the integration with OneWeb and fully aligned with an IRIS2 future, the company has appointed Jean-François Fallacher as the firm’s new CEO.
Fallacher
The appointment was decided at a Board Meeting held on May 4th, 2025, upon the recommendation of the Nomination and Governance Committee, and will be effective on June 1st, 2025. This appointment comes as a natural change that fully aligns Eutelsat to the telecom ecosystem.
A seasoned telecoms professional, Jean-François Fallacher joins Eutelsat following a lengthy career at Orange where he was latterly Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Orange France. Prior to that, he led Orange’s operations in various countries including Spain, Romania and Poland.
Before his career at Orange, Jean-François Fallacher held several roles in R&D, sales and operations, including Chief Operating Officer of Wanadoo in the Netherlands and Chief Executive Officer of Sofrecom, a consulting company specializing in the telecoms sector. A French national, Jean-François Fallacher is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications in Paris.
Jean-François Fallacher succeeds Eva Berneke, who has steered the company since January 2022, presiding over some of its most significant strategic and operational achievements. These include the merger with and integration of OneWeb in 2023 to create the world’s only LEO / GEO satellite operator, its appointment as one of the core players in the planned EU IRIS2 multi-orbit constellation, and the pioneering disposal of its passive ground segment, the first operation of its type among satellite operators.
Dominique D’Hinnin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Eutelsat, said, “On behalf of myself, Vice-Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, and the other members of the Board, I warmly thank Eva Berneke for her dynamic and committed leadership through these significant milestones in Eutelsat’s development and for delivering on our telecoms pivot strategy, in a period that has seen significantly increased competitive and geopolitical pressure. I am delighted to welcome Jean-François Fallacher as he picks up the baton from Eva. With his proven track record of success and wealth of experience and expertise, I am convinced he is the right leader to take Eutelsat forward and successfully steward the company through the opportunities and challenges which will undoubtedly present themselves in the coming years.”
Jean-François Fallacher said, “I am excited to be joining Eutelsat at such a pivotal moment in its history. 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. I am convinced Eutelsat has the fundamentals to be a winner in this environment, and I look forward to building on Eva’s foundations, and working with its talented teams to ensure we achieve our goals.”