Our leaders
Strategic committee
Role and purpose
Our strategic committee, led by two of Talan's founding members, drives our global vision and strategic direction. Their leadership ensures our competitive edge in the digital transformation landscape, whilst fostering breakthrough innovation across our consulting services.
Mehdi Houas
Mehdi Houas is the president and co-founder of the Talan Group. A Telecom Paris engineer, he began his career at Alcatel and later joined the Telecommunications and New Technologies Division at IBM. An entrepreneur at heart, he has founded several companies, including Telease, which later became Groupe Valoris, the investment fund Chrysalead, and in 2002, the Talan Group, which will employ up to 7,000 people by the end of 2024.
Philippe Cassoulat
Philippe Cassoulat is the CEO of the Talan Group, which he co-founded in 2002 with Mehdi Houas. A graduate of INT (National Institute of Telecommunications), he started his career in 1987 at Matra, then joined Telease Consultant, a telecommunications consulting company, where he became a partner in 1993. He later developed and managed the CRM practice at Valoris, a European leader in BI and CRM consulting, before joining the collective Talan venture. Talan is a consulting group focused on innovation and transformation through technology.
He is also the President of the Metaverse Observatory, a board member of Stade Français Paris, and a board member of Syntec Conseil.
Mikael THEPAUT
Mikaël THEPAUT joined the Talan Group in 2016 as Managing Director, following the integration of EXL Group.
Since 2022, he has held the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO), overseeing all of the group's P&Ls.
Mikaël has recognized expertise in M&A, management, and organization. He specializes in strategic development, operational structuring, and international expansion, with proven experience in the DATA and CRM sector.
A passionate entrepreneur, Mikaël founded EXL Group in 2008, a company specializing in DATA and CRM, which grew to over 350 employees. In 2018, within Talan, he created and developed the group's international division in London, strengthening the company's global presence.
Mikaël holds an EMBA from HEC Paris (class of 2013).
Group executive committee
Role and purpose
Talan's group executive committee stands at the heart of our operational excellence. Composed of visionary leaders and industry experts, this dynamic team drives our global performance across key strategic dimensions
Francis Roche
Francis ROCHE has been Managing Director France since 2023. With skills in marketing, sales strategy and product development, Francis Roche has acquired significant expertise in companies of various sizes and sectors. His people-focused leadership style emphasizes innovation and employee development. Francis began his career in European and American start-ups before spending almost ten years at SAP France as Sales Director. He then headed ADP's Sales & Marketing division, before joining PASàPAS in 2016, where he first successfully steered the sales strategy in France before becoming Group Managing Director.
Anis Ben Mustapha
Anis BEN MUSTAPHA joined Talan at its creation in 2002. In 2023, he was appointed Deputy Managing Director France. Anis has in-depth expertise in market finance, strategic development in the banking sector and asset management. Anis began his career with Atos Consulting, then Valoris, before joining Talan in 2002. Between 2002 and 2010, he headed the market finance business in France, consolidating Talan's position in investment banking and asset management. In 2011, Anis was appointed Director of Operations at Talan Tunisia, where he contributed for over 10 years to the development and industrialization of the Tunisian center of excellence alongside Behjet Boussofara.
Hélène KYRIAKAKIS
In July 2023, Hélène KYRIAKAKIS was appointed Managing Director Americas. With over 30 years' experience in technology consulting, Hélène is an expert with a passion for technological transformation. She is recognized for her inclusive leadership and commitment to the development of young talent. Prior to joining Talan, Hélène held strategic positions at IBM, PwC and Accenture. In 2011, she joined Createch, where she became President in 2019, then continued after Talan's acquisition. Committed to diversity, she actively promotes female leadership as Co-Sponsor of the Women@Talan initiative.
Garick LIBAUD
Since 2023, Garick LIBAUD has held the position of Managing Director EMEA. Garick has in-depth expertise in IT business management, acquired over almost two decades, mainly in Switzerland. He is also experienced in commerce and e-commerce. After commercial studies, Garick began his career in the French West Indies. He then joined one of the pioneers of e-commerce in Paris as Sales Director. Since 2004, he has managed several companies in the IT sector, mainly in Switzerland.
François SOUBIEN
François SOUBIEN joined Talan in 2024 as CEO of the Group's Consulting activities. With 28 years' experience in management and technology consulting, François has developed expertise in the aerospace, defense, transport and logistics sectors, with particular expertise in supply chain and industrial operations. He was a Partner at McKinsey for over 10 years, leading more than 100 strategic projects. Prior to McKinsey, he held Partner leadership positions at PwC following the acquisition of PRTM Management Consultants, and also worked in the consumer, luxury and pharmaceutical sectors. He began his career at Manugistics and PEA Consulting, where he developed his operations consulting skills.
Bérénice CHASSAGNE
Bérénice CHASSAGNE joined Talan in 2024 as the Group's Deputy Director of Operations. With over 20 years' experience, Bérénice Chassagne is an expert in strategic and financial management, recognized for her ability to lead large-scale international teams and projects. She has had a distinguished career at ATOS, where she held a number of strategic and financial positions. In her last position, she was Director of Growth Markets, covering areas such as Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, South America and Spain, demonstrating a strong grasp of financial issues and an aptitude for international leadership.
Behjet BOUSSOFARA
Since January 2024, Behjet BOUSSOFARA has been Managing Director of the Group's Centers of Excellence. A graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications de Bretagne and the École de Commerce de Paris, he began his career with Tunisia's incumbent telecommunications operator, where he managed several major infrastructure projects. He then pursued a managerial and entrepreneurial career in the IT sector.
Laurent GERIN
Laurent GERIN joined the Talan Group in September 2024 as Vice President Integration, with responsibility for integrating acquisitions within the Talan Group. Laurent has solid expertise in complex acquisition integration and strategic repositioning of entities. In 1998, Laurent joined CGI, one of the world's largest information technology and management consulting firms, where he held various management positions for over 20 years. He managed digital transformation centers of excellence and business units in France and Europe, before becoming President of the Southern and Western Europe zone.
Nicolas RECAPET
Nicolas RECAPET was appointed Executive Vice-President in charge of HR, CSR, Research and M&A in 2018 after having created and led the Supply Chain and Retail Consulting practice for 7 years. An engineering graduate of Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal and EPF, with an Executive MBA from HEC Paris, Nicolas began his career in operational Supply Chain management positions in sectors such as Transport, Distribution and Healthcare. With more than 20 years' experience in strategic project management, Nicolas is helping to transform the Talan Group, overseeing external growth projects, HR policy, CSR strategy and the Group's Research and Innovation Center. Nicolas is also a member of the HEC alumni association.
Hervé de BOUDEMANGE
Hervé de Boudemange joined the TALAN Group in 2019 as the Group's Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He has extensive expertise in financial and organizational transformations aimed at enhancing companies' performance and competitiveness.
A graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris, Hervé began his career in the banking sector, holding leadership and team management roles for nearly 10 years. He worked at Crédit Lyonnais in New York, focusing on securitization in the aerospace sector, and later at RBS in leveraged buyout (LBO) financing. Since 2009, he has specialized in corporate finance as a CFO in the service sector, first at FRAIKIN and then at technology consulting and engineering firms. At MATIS, he played a key role in the group's restructuring, followed by ASTEK, before joining TALAN.
