Orange Group CHRO: ‘We must build AI with the people, not against the people’

What makes €40 billion revenue telecommunications giant Orange special is that it operates in a “fast moving environment where you have genuine career opportunities”.

Its 127,000 people worldwide work in a very fast, stimulating environment, but also “true career paths, opportunities and support from the company”.

Those are the words of Vincent Lecerf, Group CHRO at Orange.

Compared with other employers, “the universe if faster, the caring part is stronger, and we are more focused on how we can grow people”, adds Lecerf.

Corporate social responsibility, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and wellbeing are “very captured in our own culture”.

At UNLEASH World 2025, Lecerf will be taking to the Main Stage to discuss the link between DEI, ethical practices, and business transformation.

UNLEASH sat down with Lecerf to get a sneak peek ahead of his session. How is Orange thinking about responsibility in the AI-powered world of work?

Why ethics and responsibility are top of mind for Orange

Lecerf is very clear that by prioritizing ethics, DEI and wellbeing isn’t something Orange does just because it’s a nice company.

“We are nice people” and want to do the right thing, but taking this approach “helps us to attract better talent, to be more efficient” and reduce attrition.

Lecerf is proud that Orange has achieved 35% women in leadership positions – in fact, the telecoms giant has a female CEO – as well as 25% of women in tech jobs.

“When we recruit, we tend to recruit more women than men in tech jobs” – and Orange has actually launched extra cohorts in Africa. “When you go to Morrocco, to Tunisia, where we have a lot of engineers, you will be amazed by the number of young women we have there”, shares Lecerf.

Vincent Lecerf, Group CHRO, Orange.

These responsibility and DEI themes also come to the fore in how Orange thinks about the HR topic of the moment: AI.

“Everyone talks about artificial intelligence; we are doing things in a slightly different manner – I am proud of it,” Lecerf tells UNLEASH.

Orange is “serious” about enabling its people to use AI by providing training for all its workers – to date, 55,000 have been trained on AI.

“The skills topic is a major one for us” – Orange encourages people to upskill and reskill themselves; “we had a target of 20,000 new certifications in new technology – we have reached that over the last two years”.

While it’s important to offer formal training modules – Orange has 24,000 available – on-the-job learning and mentoring is an essential part of upskilling around AI, according to Lecerf.

“We have created a network of ambassadors who are there to support the usage of AI” – while it’s great to have formal programs, “the mentor who accompanies the trainee is crucial” to success.

The telecommunications employer also ensures that its people are all using AI in an ethical and sustainable manner.

Not only does the telecoms company have an Ethics council, a charter and guiding principle around AI, but Orange is “the first company to be certified for having a truly inclusive artificial intelligence approach”.

When offering different tools to its people, they are also shared the CO2 emissions for each tool. “In most cases, the engine that is used is the one that consumes less energy”, that’s simply because people are aware of the impact on sustainability.

Orange on how to build trust with AI

A major challenge that organizations are facing is AI adoption – the key to solving this, for Lecerf, is to build trust.

“We know that people are anxious about AI” and how will it affect their jobs.

Therefore, “we must build AI with the people, not against the people” – “empowering people, reassuring people how it is going to help them, taking into account the human aspects of that, addressing the fears”.

Training is a key aspect of building trust, but, in Lecerf’s view, so is communication. Employees need to know how the data is being used, that it won’t be leaked, and that is going quality.

Collaboration is also a key part. Lecerf shares that Orange has encouraged “everyone to build their own assistant” – as result, now there are 13,000 in Orange’s ethical AI ecosystem, created by employees, which their colleagues can use in their roles.

Plus, the telecoms giant is launched a brand new career management tool that helps it’s people match their skills with open roles and training opportunities, with the help of AI.

Lecerf is clear that Orange won’t impose any training or new roles onto employees “without dialogue with the person”. The aim is to support people in growing in their careers at Orange, while also closing skills gaps and future-proofing the business.

UNLEASH asked Lecerf for his advice to his HR peers who are struggling to move the needle on AI; he advised them to “keep your eyes wide open”.

Things are moving fast – six months ago, we were not talking about agentic AI, now everyone is talking about that” – Leaders need to “stay in the loop”.

He also advised that they focus on their AI use cases – “these tools are super powerful, you must have a strong use case” – for Orange, skills is a major AI use case.

Once you’ve figured our your use case, the you can find the right tool to enable success there.

Orange, Vincent Lecerf and UNLEASH World

Want to hear more about how Orange is thinking about AI, ethics and skills?

You’re in luck – Vincent Lecerf will be joining us at UNLEASH World 2025.

Taking to the Main Stage on Tuesday 21^st in a panel discussion with HR leaders from NN and the BBC, Lecerf will share more on how to build trust, equity, and resilience in your workforce.

It’s not too late to grab a pass, and join us in Paris.