Fellow, a distinction that embodies excellence

At Orange, the title of Fellow honors the scientific and technological expertise of our employees. It is awarded to individuals who meaningfully advance our core business domains, elevate research and drive impact through innovation.

 

Two years after Dinh Thuy Phan Huy received the distinction for her groundbreaking work on energy-efficient networks, four new recipients join the ranks this year.

Dinh Thuy Huy is Research Project Lead and Head of Orange Expertise/Networks of the Future

 

 

 

The four men awarded the title of Fellow during Orange OpenTech 2025 represent the highest level of expertise within our Group. Their names were announced during the ceremony hosted by Lyse Brillouet, Orange’s Director of Research and Intellectual Property.
La Story Orange
Eric Hardouin
Éric Hardouin
Director of Research for Networks and Infrastructure at Orange Research. A key architect of the networks of the future, he leads research areas spanning 5G, 6G, Wi-Fi, optical networks, satellites, cloudification, and quantum communications. His mission is to ensure that research becomes a driver of innovation and lasting societal benefit within Orange Innovation.
Philippe Ensarguet
Philippe Ensarguet
VP of Software Engineering at Orange Innovation, drives the Group’s software transformation. He embodies a modern vision of development that is open and collaborative, and champions an engineering culture at the heart of Orange’s value creation. He is also one of the key figures advancing Orange’s “Telco to TechCo” strategy internally and externally, positioning Orange as a benchmark leader within the telecom ecosystem.
Jean-Marie Mélé
Jean-Marie Mélé
Director of Audit and Risk Assessment at Orange Group, previously served as Chief Information Security Officer, helping protect Orange’s critical infrastructure and the millions of customers who rely on it. His unique expertise blends technical mastery with legal understanding and strategic business thinking.
Piotr Sobczyk
Director of AI Strategy and Transformation at Orange Poland, was honored for his leadership in advancing innovative and responsible uses of artificial intelligence. He prioritizes strong governance and operational excellence as drivers of innovation, focusing on democratizing data access, building expert communities and deploying transparent AI that truly supports human work.
Eric Hardouin
Éric Hardouin
Director of Research for Networks and Infrastructure at Orange Research. A key architect of the networks of the future, he leads research areas spanning 5G, 6G, Wi-Fi, optical networks, satellites, cloudification, and quantum communications. His mission is to ensure that research becomes a driver of innovation and lasting societal benefit within Orange Innovation.
Philippe Ensarguet
Philippe Ensarguet
VP of Software Engineering at Orange Innovation, drives the Group’s software transformation. He embodies a modern vision of development that is open and collaborative, and champions an engineering culture at the heart of Orange’s value creation. He is also one of the key figures advancing Orange’s “Telco to TechCo” strategy internally and externally, positioning Orange as a benchmark leader within the telecom ecosystem.
Jean-Marie Mélé
Jean-Marie Mélé
Director of Audit and Risk Assessment at Orange Group, previously served as Chief Information Security Officer, helping protect Orange’s critical infrastructure and the millions of customers who rely on it. His unique expertise blends technical mastery with legal understanding and strategic business thinking.
Piotr Sobczyk
Director of AI Strategy and Transformation at Orange Poland, was honored for his leadership in advancing innovative and responsible uses of artificial intelligence. He prioritizes strong governance and operational excellence as drivers of innovation, focusing on democratizing data access, building expert communities and deploying transparent AI that truly supports human work.

 

   

Being an Orange Fellow means acting as a technical authority and an influencer. Internally, we help guide strategic decisions and externally, we help steer the ecosystem in directions that we believe are beneficial to our customers, to society and to the business itself. As Fellows, we also have a responsibility to share knowledge, which means investing in training efforts both inside and outside the Group, including with engineering schools and universities.

Éric Hardouin
Director of Research for Networks and Infrastructure at Orange Research

 

 

 

 

Orange’s innovation and research in numbers

Data flash

Orange’s innovation and research in numbers

700 researchers
across France and internationally, including around one hundred PhD students and postdoctoral researchers
11,000 active patents
with nearly 200 new protected inventions in 2024
2,000+ industrial partners
worldwide currently use Orange’s patented technologies
3 joint laboratories
with INRIA, the University of Nice and Lab’Optic
700 researchers
across France and internationally, including around one hundred PhD students and postdoctoral researchers
11,000 active patents
with nearly 200 new protected inventions in 2024
2,000+ industrial partners
worldwide currently use Orange’s patented technologies
3 joint laboratories
with INRIA, the University of Nice and Lab’Optic

 

 

 

 

Strategic partnership with ​École ​Polytechnique 

The ceremony took place within a meaningful context, following a major announcement by Christel Heydemann, CEO of Orange Group, officially confirming a new partnership with École Polytechnique. The institution is a renowned source of scientific talent, with profiles strongly aligned with research and innovation.

This partnership makes formal an ambitious collaboration in AI and cybersecurity. Bringing together the strengths of a leading academic institution with those of Orange reflects our commitment to maintaining productive dialogue between science and industry and supporting scientific training that drives progress.

 

 

Partenariat Polytechnique Orange durant Orange Open Tech

 

 

 

Key takeaways

 

3.5+ K

visitors

Orange OpenTech 2025 brought together over 3,500 visitors, 45 demo zones and 10 conferences and roundtables featuring global tech leaders, subject-matter experts and Orange Business customers.

4 fellows

honored

During the VIP conference, the four newly appointed Fellows were honored and the Orange–École Polytechnique partnership was made official.

All replays of the event are available on the Hello Future platform.

Offering a unique opportunity to explore the world of research and technological innovation at Orange and beyond.