By Inti Landauro
PARIS--French hotel company Accor SA (AC.FR) Monday said it
hired Vivek Badrinath, a rising star of the management of
telecommunications company Orange SA (ORA.FR), as deputy chief
executive.
Mr. Badrinath, born in 1969, will be in charge of marketing,
digital solutions and information systems and will start in his new
position on March 1, Accor said. He is a key addition as the
company seeks to improve the presence of its brands such as Sofitel
and Ibis on the web and on mobile devices with travelers
increasingly booking hotels on-line.
The company confirmed a report in The Wall Street Journal.
Mr. Badrinath has been key to keeping the former state monopoly
up to speed on the latest technological developments. Over the past
decade, he has risen fast in the ranks of the group, occupying
several posts -- from head of business services to head of networks
-- before being put in charge of innovation, marketing and
technologies in May last year.
His exit from Orange comes at a critical time for the company's
CEO Stephane Richard, who is seeking to stay at the helm of the
company for a second term. Orange, along with France's other main
telecom groups, has been battling to stem a decline in profit since
rival Iliad SA launched a mobile service at cutthroat prices two
years ago.
Ruth Bender and Sam Schechner contributed to this article.
-Write to Inti Landauro at inti.landauro@wsj.com
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