By Melissa Kasule

Iliad’s Group has appointed Nicolas Thomas and Thomas Robin to head its French operator brand Free.

Thomas was named chief executive officer and Robin will work alongside him at Free as chief financial officer. The new organisation will come into effect on March 6, 2023.

The pair joined the company in 2010 and have held high positions in the company for over ten years operating in both Italy and in France.

Since joining the group, Thomas helped launch the mobile business in France. He was responsible for obtaining approval from the European Union for the group’s entry into the Italian market in 2016. He has since contributed to the successful development of the business in Italy.

Robin was initially hired by the group as head of management control for Free Mobile. He was instrumental in Iliad’s external growth operations, particularly in Poland, and worked actively to integrate it within the Group.

The company said their appointments demonstrates the group’s ongoing desire to help its employees progress internally, in all functions and in all businesses.

Going forward Iliad, will have a dedicated general management for each of its operators based in France, Italy and Poland.

Iliad’s CEO, Thomas Reynaud, and deputy chief executive officer Nicolas Jaeger will oversee all countries and subsidiaries, ensure proper monitoring of the strategic plan, the climate plan, and prepare for future developments.

Reyanud described the new development at Free as “very logical” as it comes at a time where each operator has its own management structure.

He added, “This should be accompanied by more exchanges of best practices between operators in different countries. This is the key for the Iliad Group to assert itself among the European leaders, by being ever more innovative, ever more at the service of its subscribers and ever more attentive to its employees and listening to its employees.”

Thomas said, “I am very happy and eager to be able to take Free, its teams and its capacity for innovation even further, while perpetuating its fundamental values of freedom, truth and simplicity.”