French telecommunications company Orange has appointed Pakistani technology executive Usman Javaid as its Group Chief AI Officer, effective September 1, 2026, as the company accelerates the use of artificial intelligence across its global business.

Javaid will report to Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Bruno Zerbib and will lead Orange’s AI strategy, focusing on scaling AI and agentic AI across network operations, customer services, enterprise solutions, and internal business processes. His role will center on turning AI into a key driver of efficiency, innovation, and business growth.

The appointment supports Orange’s “Trust the Future” strategy, unveiled earlier this year, under which the company aims to generate more than €600 million in value from AI by 2028 while expanding the use of trusted and responsible AI technologies.

Javaid succeeds Steve Jarrett, who helped establish Orange’s AI capabilities and laid the foundation for the company’s current AI strategy.

He has more than 20 years of experience in telecommunications, cloud computing, product development, and digital transformation. Since 2023, he has served as Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Orange Business, leading product strategy and the company’s data and AI transformation initiatives.

Before rejoining Orange, Javaid held senior leadership roles at Amazon Web Services (AWS), overseeing cloud services across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Earlier, he spent more than a decade at Vodafone, where he worked on consumer and enterprise technologies, including 4G deployment, IoT, cloud services, network strategy, and innovation.

Javaid began his career at France Télécom, now Orange, in 2005. He holds a master’s degree in Networks and Telecommunications and a PhD from the University of Bordeaux in mobile technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT), and is the holder of several technology patents.