Brussels, 19 October 2011 – The Board of Directors of Mobistar decided on October 18 to name Jean Marc Harion for the position of CEO. He will take charge of the company from 1st December 2011. With Belgian roots, Jean Marc Harion succeeds Benoit Scheen, who on 1st September took up the position of Executive Director Europe (except France) of France Télécom-Orange.
Jean Marc Harion, 49, has been both an entrepreneur and had long experience in the telecommunications sector, most of it at international level. At the beginning of the 90s he founded Computer Channel, a company specialising in online training for businesses in the fields of Internet and television. In 1999 his company was bought by France Télécom. Jean Marc Harion then joined the French group, where he began his time there as head of business portals at Wanadoo. Since then he has extended his experience within the France Télécom-Orange group, be it in developing multimedia services, launching technological innovations or improving distribution channels. In 2007, he was named VP Business Development for France Télécom in North and South America. Since 2009, he has been CEO of Orange Dominicana, the second-largest mobile operator in the Dominican Republic with 3 million customers and 1,200 employees. Not only has he set Orange Dominicana on a trajectory of growth, he has also made it the preferred mobile operator in the country, both among customers and employees.
The Mobistar Board of Directors were won over by the visionary side of Jean Marc Harion’s character, which he has shown in his ability to seize opportunities. The Board is of the opinion that Jean Marc Harion is the person best placed to keep Mobistar on the path of success it has followed for the last four years under Benoit Scheen. “After having examined numerous candidatures, we have come to the conclusion that Jean Marc Harion has all the qualities required to lead Mobistar into growth over the years to come. He has the leadership, he has the creativity and he also has sound knowledge of the financial side of things,” emphasised Jan Steyaert, Chairman of the Mobistar Board of Directors.
Born in Brussels, Jean Marc Harion studied at the Royal Koekelberg Athenaeum, then at the ‘Université Libre de Bruxelles’ and the University of Mannheim, where he studied linguistics. He also holds a Master’s degree in information management from the Institut d’Etudes politiques de Paris. Jean Marc Harion is married and has 3 children.