Michel Combes (Class X1981) is appointed Chairman of the Friends of École Polytechnique

The Board of the Friends of École Polytechnique, sister organization of École Polytechnique Foundation in the United States, has unanimously appointed Michel Combes (Class X1981) Chairman of the Friends of École Polytechnique (FEP). He succeeds Éric Setton (Class X1998) who held this position since April 2018.

Through mobilizing support from alumni in the United States, FEP is able to provide financing for the École Polytechnique’s innovative research projects, scholarships for international students and programs promoting excellence in science.

"I'm delighted to take over the chairmanship of FEP today, and I'd like to thank Éric Setton and all the members of the Board for their confidence. At a time when École Polytechnique is implementing ambitious projects, I am committed to working alongside my fellow comrades living in the United States, to help our School achieve its goals", says Michel Combes.

"On behalf of École Polytechnique Foundation, I would like to extend my warmest thanks to Éric Setton for his investment and commitment to our School, and I wish Michel Combes every success", adds Jean-Paul Cottet, Executive Director of École Polytechnique Foundation.

A graduate of École polytechnique (Class X1981) and Télécom Paris, Michel Combes is currently Executive Vice President of Claure Group, a global investment company.

A telecommunications specialist, he was CFO of France Télécom from 2002 to 2006, and headed TDF (2006-2008), Vodafone Group for Europe (2008-2013), Alcatel-Lucent (2013-2015) and Numericable-SFR (2015-2017). In 2018, Michel Combes was appointed CFO of US operator Sprint, where he became CEO. In 2020, he joined Softbank Group International, which he led  until 2022.