France’s telecommunications ecosystem spans operators, satellite and connectivity providers, and the software and services layers that power modern networks. Security leaders here operate in a high-availability world: securing complex infrastructure, navigating strict regulatory pressure (including NIS2), and keeping resilience front and center while the industry modernizes toward cloud, automation, and new service models.
Arnaud Sommier — Chief Information Security Officer, Stelogy
Arnaud Sommier leads the group cybersecurity strategy at Stelogy in a context of growth and transformation. His work emphasizes structuring information security governance through an information security management system aligned to ISO 27001 and ANSSI recommendations, alongside hands-on oversight of risk management, incidents, and vulnerabilities. He also focuses on pragmatic security that supports business outcomes,securing environments while enabling both IT and business teams, and contributes to the evolution of cyber offerings. A strong awareness and culture-building thread runs through his approach, using targeted training and communication to embed cybersecurity across the organization.
Maxime Legas — Responsable de la sécurité des systèmes d’information, Xelya
Maxime Legas is Responsable de la sécurité des systèmes d’information at Xelya and positions his work around governance, compliance, and continuous improvement to support cloud service growth. He highlights leading certification and compliance programs, covering ISO 27001, ISO 27018, ISO 20000, and HDS, while piloting the information security management system. On the strategic side, he drives security committees, defines objectives and key performance indicators, and steers continuous improvement. Operationally, he emphasizes detection and incident response capabilities via security information and event management, endpoint detection and response, and extended detection and response. He also calls out governance for generative AI usage, framing guardrails that protect data separation and align with GDPR, paired with strong cross-functional leadership and external audit management.
Thibaud Badouard — Responsable de la sécurité des systèmes d’information | Chief Information Security Officer, RENATER
Thibaud Badouard brings a profile grounded in public-sector-grade security rigor. Trained as an engineer (ECE Paris), he specialized in cybersecurity during four years at ANSSI, where he supervised evaluations of security products and services. He then moved into client-facing security delivery at Intrinsec, running and leading security engagements across multiple industries. Today, within RENATER’s operational security team, he covers a broad range of technical and organizational missions, an especially relevant blend for a national-scale research and education network where resilience, trust, and operational excellence are non-negotiable.
Franck Andreux — Chief Information Security Officer, Circet
Franck Andreux describes a 15-year journey across technology and digital security, emphasizing both creativity and strategy in addressing complex cybersecurity challenges. In a telecom-adjacent environment like Circet, where field operations, infrastructure projects, and large distributed footprints are common, this kind of approach maps well to managing cyber risk across heterogeneous systems and stakeholder groups, while keeping security aligned with delivery realities.
Sebastien Jack Pilhutt — Deputy Chief Information Security Officer, Eutelsat
Sebastien Jack Pilhutt serves as Deputy Chief Information Security Officer at Eutelsat. His earlier background includes four years at ANSSI as a cyber security specialist, where he contributed to strategic portfolios and excellence-center work, as well as a long tenure as a General Engineer in the Corps des Mines. This combination—national-level security exposure plus deep institutional and strategic experience—fits the complexity of satellite telecommunications, where security decisions intersect with critical infrastructure, geopolitics, and strict operational requirements.
Etienne Coutenceau — Chief Information Security Officier, SoftAtHome
Etienne Coutenceau is Chief Information Security Officer at SoftAtHome, with responsibilities tied to scaling IT activity and implementing security measures driven by new client requirements. His remit explicitly includes ensuring compliance with European cybersecurity regulation, specifically NIS2, and building toward ISO 27001 compliance. With a path that includes time as a security auditor and earlier hands-on roles, he reflects the reality of many telecom software and platform providers: security must quickly translate into customer-ready controls, credible compliance posture, and operational practices that keep pace with business demand.
Frederic Ferrari — Chief Information Security Officer, Business Process and Internal IT Manager, Transatel
Frederic Ferrari is CISO, Business Process and Internal IT Manager at Transatel, blending security leadership with process and internal IT management. His background shows long experience in telecom software development and program and release management, leading documentation and development teams, managing quality systems, and overseeing gating processes and releases. This is a valuable profile in telecom tech environments where secure delivery, reliable release discipline, and cross-functional process improvement materially affect both security outcomes and customer satisfaction.
France’s Telecommunications Security Leaders Are Balancing Resilience and Regulation
Across France’s telecommunications industry, the strongest security leaders combine structured governance, operational detection and response maturity, and pragmatic enablement for business and technical teams. With regulatory demands increasing and network ecosystems becoming more software-driven, these leaders stand out for building security programs that hold up under scrutiny while remaining effective in real-world operations.