Speaker Bio
Ben Cheick HAIDARA, Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer, Orange Middle East and Africa.
A distinguished leader in the telecommunications sector with over 25 years of experience in Africa. Since 2020, he has been the CEO of Orange Democratic Republic of Congo, where he led a transformative restructuring plan that resulted in a sustainable turnaround for the operator. This included the first positive net income in 10 years, 72% revenue growth, and an 87% increase in the customer base. Under his leadership, Orange DRC was certified as a Top Employer 2025 and pioneered both fiber optic deployment and 5G network testing.
Previously, he successfully led Orange Burkina Faso, elevating the company to market leadership, which earned him the CEO of the Year award at the 2017 AfricaCom Awards.
He has also driven the growth and turnaround of Airtel Burkina Faso, Etisalat Benin, Moov Niger, and Telecel Burkina Faso, building a reputation as a manager capable of transforming businesses and anticipating industry trends (data, mobile money, 3G/4G).
A graduate of HEC Paris and the University of Ouagadougou, he has also completed certifications from the London Business School and the University of California, Berkeley. Passionate about performance, innovation, social responsibility, and team dynamics, Ben Cheick Haidara will apply his results-oriented leadership to the digital and financial transformation of Orange MEA. He will oversee 18 subsidiaries and 166 million customers, with the ambition of accelerating the Group’s growth, particularly through the Max it super-app, network modernization, and a focus on customer experience excellence.