TDF Group announces the appointment of Olivier Huart as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Karim El Naggar as Chief Executive Officer, effective March 31, 2025.
Olivier Huart appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors
After leading TDF for fifteen years, Olivier Huart will step down from his position at the end of his term to dedicate himself to chairing the Group’s Board of Directors. His strategic vision and industrial expertise in digital infrastructure will be major assets in guiding the Board’s future deliberations.
Since his appointment in 2010, Olivier Huart has revitalized the company. Under his leadership and following the switch-off of the analog television in 2011, TDF successfully undertook a decisive strategic shift. Digital Terrestrial Television and radio broadcasting, including DAB+, expanded significantly. TDF’s towerco business also experienced robust growth, with its portfolio of sites increasing from 6,000 in 2010 to over 8,600 in 2024. This growth reflects TDF’s ability to meet operators’ needs and play a key role in enhancing mobile coverage across regions. Finally, Olivier Huart marked the company’s history with the creation of the fiber business. Today, TDF is recognized as a key French player in digital infrastructure, addressing both current and future societal challenges. This ambitious transformation was achieved while maintaining constant dialogue to uphold the company’s social contract.
Karim El Naggar appointed CEO of TDF Group
The Board of Directors has appointed Karim El Naggar as CEO of TDF Group, effective March 31, 2025. He will succeed Olivier Huart and will be tasked with advancing the implementation of the company’s strategic plan.
Karim El Naggar held senior leadership roles within international industrial and technology groups, as well as innovative startups, before joining TDF in June 2022. Since then, he has led all network activities, spanning traditional broadcasting services (DTT and FM radio) and emerging sectors such as DAB+ and private mobile networks.
Under his leadership, TDF has reinforced its position as a leader in broadcasting despite a rapidly changing environment, while driving an ambitious modernization strategy focused on UHD and 5G Broadcast. Karim El Naggar has also positioned TDF as a key player in the fast-growing market of private mobile networks.
Benoît Mérel transitions to a new role within TDF Group
Benoît Mérel, Deputy CEO and COO, who worked alongside Olivier Huart in transforming the company for the past 15 years, will also step down at the end of his term. From March 31, 2025, he will focus on managing strategic projects and activities related to structural finance.
Benoît Mérel played a central role in TDF’s transformation and success. As the architect of a rigorous management framework, he structured operations and performance initiatives that have sustainably enhanced the company’s efficiency. His unwavering commitment was also pivotal in launching the fiber business, mobilizing teams and structuring this ambitious project.
Olivier Huart, Chairman of the Board of Directors, commented:
“After 15 exciting years at the helm of this remarkable company, working daily alongside Benoît Mérel, whom I thank and with whom I share my journey, I am profoundly proud of what we have achieved together. We overcame numerous challenges, accomplished great things, and prepared the future with ambition and resilience. As I prepare to take on new responsibilities as Chairman of the Board of Directors, I extend my heartfelt thanks to TDF’s employees for their unwavering commitment and trust. Karim El Naggar will successfully lead the company to continue its transformation and thrive in its markets. In recent years, TDF Group has experienced robust growth, establishing itself as a French leader in telecommunications and broadcasting infrastructure. Tomorrow, the Group will continue to build on its industrial expertise, operational excellence, and highly skilled teams to ensure its long-term growth.”
Karim El Naggar, Chief Executive Officer of TDF Group, added:
“I thank the Board of Directors for their trust and am honored to have the opportunity to build on the exceptional work accomplished over the past fifteen years by Olivier Huart, Benoît Mérel, and all TDF teams. Over the past two years, I have gained a deep appreciation for our company’s strengths, the talent and dedication of our employees, and the strength of our corporate culture. I approach this new role with enthusiasm, confident that together, we will overcome the challenges of our evolving historical markets while seizing the new opportunities before us.”
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Executive bios
Olivier Huart
Olivier Huart joined TDF Group in 2010. Over 15 years, he profoundly transformed the company and successfully led the transition from analog to digital television in a context of high corporate debt. Under his leadership, TDF expanded into promising new markets such as mobile operator hosting on towers (TowerCo) and the roll-out of fiber-optic infrastructures by securing Public Initiative Network (RIP) projects. From 2005 to 2010, Olivier Huart served as President of BT France. Between 1996 and 2005, at the SFR-Cegetel Group, he first led SFR’s Regulation and Public Affairs department, then became CEO of the fixed operator Cegetel. He began his career in 1988 at France Telecom International, holding various management positions in marketing and business development. Olivier Huart is a graduate of École Polytechnique (class of 1983), Telecom Paris, and holds an MBA from INSEAD. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institut Mines-Télécom.
Karim El Naggar
Karim El Naggar began his career in telecommunications at Alcatel in 1997, where he held various roles in France and internationally in the mobile networks sector. In 2005, he was appointed head of the company’s “core network” business and later its “WiMax” division. In 2009, he joined Alstom as Vice President responsible for software solutions in the electrical networks field. Following Alstom’s acquisition by General Electric in 2015, he was tasked with leading the integration of Alstom’s and GE’s software activities and headed a global P&L for software solutions related to market management, transmission, and electricity distribution. In 2018, he founded Nucamp, an innovative company specializing in training for IT development professions, quickly establishing itself as a key player in the North American “coding bootcamp” market. Back in France since 2022, Karim El Naggar leads TDF’s Broadcast and Networks Business Unit. His mission is to modernize broadcasting activities, develop new technological solutions such as UHD and 5G Broadcast, and launch new services like private mobile networks. Karim El Naggar is a graduate of École Polytechnique (class of 1992), ENSTA Paris (1997), and Harvard Business School (2003).