Xavier Niel

Xavier Niel
Xavier Niel in January 2008
Born	25 August 1967 France
Occupation	Chief Strategy Offer, Iliad

Xavier Niel, born 25 August 1967 is a French entrepreneur and businessman, active in the telecommunications and technology industry and best known as founder and majority shareholder of the French Internet service provider Iliad trading under the Free brand. He currently acts as Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors & Chief Strategy Officer for Iliad ^[1]

His net worth is about 4.5 billion US$.

[edit] Biography

Xavier Niel is a figure of French entrepreneurship, an internet and telecom role model in France due to his capacity to innovate and the financial success of his Group, Iliad .

Born to a french catholic father and german jewish mother Xavier Niel is a self-made man who is passionate about new technologies, Xavier Niel started early by developing telecommunication and data services. He embarked at a young age on a entrepreneurial career. At 19, he successfully created then sold his first company, a Minitel (a French forerunner of the internet) service company. In 1993, he created with a friend the first Internet Service Provider in France, Worldnet, which he sold just before the internet bubble burst.

After taking over a company subsequently renamed Iliad, Xavier Niel launched in 1996 the 1st reversed directory service on the Minitel (3617 ANNU). In 1999, he created Free, the first free ISP. Success was instantaneous. From the start, he positioned Free as a telecom operator investing in infrastructure and building a telecommunication network.

In 2002, Xavier Niel was pivotal to the launch by Free of a broadband package at a revolutionary price (€ 29.99 per month), which became the benchmark in the market. At the same time, he created, with his own R&D team, the Freebox, condensed innovation in a ground-breaking small black box: the first multi-service box to bring “triple-play” (internet, phone, TV) to the home. Free’s broadband offering was recognised in April 2006 by the OECD as the “OECD’s most competitive triple-play package” .

In 2006, Xavier Niel innovated again and contributed to modernising his country: the Group engaged in an extensive FTTH rollout plan, to create the telecom network of the coming decades and provide Very High Speed Internet access to French households at the same price as standard broadband.

Xavier Niel is crazy about technology and strives to continuously provide innovation to consumers. He ceaselessly imagines tomorrow’s future services and defines short, medium and long-term targets. As a new technology aficionado, he is able to design innovative products both at technological (Voice over IP, IPTV) and marketing levels (unlimited calls included in package, Personal TV, etc.).

This creativity appealed to millions of subscribers in a few years. Indeed, Xavier Niel has managed to create value while at the same time providing French customers with innovative products at unbeatable prices. He pays particular attention to consumers’ expectations and meets Free subscriber community on a regular basis. He has a strong market sense.“Giving to consumers comes naturally to us. We know full well it is in our interest” he stated in Le Journal du Dimanche in March 2009 .

Xavier Niel thus built a telecommunication group unlike any other in only a few years. Today, the company is the leading alternative broadband provider in France, with more than 4.4 million subscribers to date. Xavier Niel is a young (42) and discreet entrepreneur, who focuses on developing his group. He remains Iliad’s majority shareholder, holding more than 64% of the share capital. In spite of intermittent rumours, he never intended to sell his shares. When Management magazine mentioned this possibility in February 2008, he replied “What would I do then if I sell? Hang around all day in my pyjamas? Analysts have been dreaming about me selling the business for years, but I don’t care. There’s more to life than mergers and acquisitions!”.

Since the Company’s IPO in January 2004, Iliad has achieved one of the best stock market performances: up 365% when the CAC 40 grew by 15%.

Xavier Niel is an atypical character due to his management style in a company where hierarchy is flat. He is always keen to associate his employees with the company’s success. His approach: “A small team, a commando spirit and adrenaline”, he acknowledged last April in Challenges which dedicated its front page to him .

Thanks to Xavier Niel’s strong capacity to innovate and anticipate market expectations, Free revolutionised the French telecommunication market, demonstrating the value of open competition. As a result, France, which was lagging far behind in internet access ten years ago, is now ranking as one of the most advanced countries for digital technologies. This is one of the reasons why Xavier Niel was voted “Manager of the Year” at the BFM Awards in November 2009.

He now looks forward to expanding this revolution to the mobile market: lower prices, innovation and a clear-cut offering. Free Mobile was granted the 4th French mobile telephony licence in January 2010 and is preparing for launch in 2012.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Iliad
• Free