5G and me

Since the dawn of the mobile age, telecoms companies have been battling against the idea that they are simply utility providers of pipes in the sky. For Edward Bouygues, Director of Strategy for Bouygues Telecom, part of the Bouygues Group, this notion that is never far from his thoughts.

“Every single telco is worried about that question. For us it would be very disappointing just to be a dumb pipe like a water company,” he says. “But it is very difficult to do a side business that is profitable as your main business. A rare example is Amazon with Amazon Web Services (AWS). One (non-core) area we are very good at is managing data. We are bringing connectivity to objects, for example.”

Bouygues is the grandson of Francis Bouygues, the founder of Bouygues Group, and son of Martin Bouygues, the current CEO of the giant French conglomerate. He is entrusted with navigating the long-term future of the business while demonstrating to investors and staff that he deserves his role on merit rather than simply because of the family name.

The pressure of history

Being the son of a corporate scion might seem like a stroke of outrageous good fortune for anyone seeking a career in business. The Bouygues Group employs over 129,000 staff and in 2018 recorded turnover of almost €36 billion. Its operations span telecoms, construction, real estate and media. It is a household name not just in France but across Europe and beyond. In total, it operates in 90 different countries and is a global player in construction, energy, and transport infrastructure.

It is also a rare beast – a family business (the family owns 20% with employees owning another 20%) that is also listed on the stock market. Which means there are a huge number of eyes watching Edward to see if he is of the calibre of his father and grandfather and capable of leading the business in the decades to come.