Monday, 26 January 2026
François Soubien appointed CEO of Talan, propelling the group into a new phase of acceleration
Paris, January 26, 2026 – Having joined a year and a half ago to accelerate the transformation of Talan’s consulting business, François Soubien has today been entrusted with the Group’s operational leadership as CEO. This appointment marks a major milestone for Talan as it opens a new cycle of growth and expansion, aiming to reach €2.5 billion in revenue by 2030, supported by a differentiating vision and an evolving business model.
A differentiating vision to accelerate transformations
Appointed CEO of Talan by Group founders Mehdi Houas and Philippe Cassoulat, effective January 1, 2026, François Soubien is presenting his 2030 roadmap.
The goal is to elevate the Group to the rank of a global benchmark in accelerating corporate transformation. This ambition is built on a unique value proposition: a fully integrated and hybrid model combining consulting, AI/Data, and technological expertise, providing end-to-end support for the most complex transformation projects.
This approach creates opportunities for the Group and aligns with the challenges faced by companies and their executive management, particularly in the strategic fields of data and artificial intelligence.
A new global organization based on 4 business lines to address major client challenges, particularly in AI
To support its global development plan, François Soubien will lead the evolution of Talan’s organizational model, strengthening expertise and impact in strategic sectors where the Group already has a strong foothold (banking and financial services, energy, transport and mobility, luxury and retail, healthcare).
Consequently, François Soubien will rely on four business lines led by a team of global leaders, ensuring operational excellence to deliver hybrid, innovative services tailored to clients' transformation needs. Each business line will cultivate AI expertise, including a skill center of 2,500 consultants and experts dedicated to deploying advanced AI and data technologies to help companies design, deploy, and adopt their own solutions.
This new architecture also leverages Talan’s geographic expertise hubs—true engines of excellence that provide the entire network with analysis and innovation.
Reinforced Local Presence for More Connected and Impactful Action
Talan’s new organization, which now combines business expertise management with geographic roots, allows for a global vision balanced with a deep understanding of local realities. The Group ensures a strong presence for each of its business lines at the local level, an essential condition for ensuring execution that is close to the ground and maintaining close client relationships.
Finally, Talan is also betting on the strategic use of its most advanced technologies and an "AI-native" approach. Data science and artificial intelligence are systematically integrated to enhance the reliability of analyses and explore innovative solutions, bolstered by internal knowledge and significant R&D investments.
By rethinking its model, Talan is strengthening its capacity to lead large-scale transformations from end to end, particularly in AI and data, where it aims to consolidate and extend its leadership by 2030. Within this dynamic, the Group is preparing its ramp-up in consulting, aiming for it to represent 30% of Talan’s activity by 2030.
François Soubien, CEO of the Talan Group
“I joined Talan a year and a half ago with the conviction that the Group had all the assets required to become a key player in accelerating business transformation. I was immediately impressed by its history, as well as by its positioning, which is perfectly aligned with ongoing market shifts and with our clients’ expectations, particularly in the field of AI.
Today, I am honored to take on the role of CEO and to open a new chapter for the Group. The evolution of our organization gives us the ability to accelerate, reach a new level of performance, and extend the global reach of our initiatives. We are ready to become a company that truly matters in the transformations of tomorrow, driven by a renewed vision, clear ambition, and a highly competitive market model.”
Mehdi Houas, Chairman of Talan
“I have always had the ambition to build Talan into a major international group, combining consulting and technology expertise to accelerate our clients’ transformation through technology, data, and innovation.
Twenty-three years later, we can proudly say that Talan is now recognized across its entire ecosystem as a long-term trusted partner, capable of supporting clients through successive waves of transformation, on track to reach, and exceed, one billion euros in revenue, and ready to open a new cycle of growth and expansion.
It was an obvious choice for us that François would be the right leader to write this next chapter, and it is with great confidence that we have entrusted him with this responsibility.”
Karim Saddi, Managing Director at TowerBrook
“We are proud to have supported Talan’s founders and teams for several years and to have helped build a European leader in digital transformation. We are renewing our financial and strategic support for this next phase, which will position Talan on a global scale. This is an ambitious and strategically important step, and we have full confidence in Mehdi Houas and Philippe Cassoulat’s decision to entrust the leadership of this plan to François Soubien, who can also rely on the exceptional quality of the teams around him.”
¹ Talan’s four Business Lines: Consulting; Data & AI; Tech – Business & Digital Transformation; Tech – Business Solutions
Biography of François Soubien
François Soubien was appointed CEO of the Talan Group, effective January 1, 2026.
He joined the Talan Group in 2024 as CEO in charge of Consulting, with responsibility for overseeing the Group’s consulting activities across all Business Units worldwide.
François Soubien, 51, holds a Master’s degree in Management Sciences from IAE – University of Tours (1997) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in the United States (2006). He began his career at Manugistics before joining PEA Consulting, where he developed deep expertise in supply chain consulting. He later joined PRTM Management Consultants and then PwC, where he served as Managing Director France and Equity Partner. He subsequently spent more than ten years as a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, specializing in the aerospace, defense, transportation, and logistics sectors.
Over the course of his career, François Soubien has led more than 100 major transformation initiatives, with a particular focus on industrial operations and the management of complex supply chains.
About Talan
Founded in France, Talan has grown into an international group that supports our clients in their end-to-end Data & AI transformation by combining management consulting with technological expertise.
With over 6,000 employees across five continents, we accelerate our clients' transformations through long-term partnerships, creating measurable and sustainable impact.
Our value proposition is built on a structured innovation ecosystem: 2,500 Data & AI experts, proprietary solutions built on advanced models, and a research laboratory dedicated to both fundamental and applied innovation.
For more than 20 years, we have been translating technological innovation into competitive advantages across vital sectors: banking and financial services, energy, transport and mobility, luxury and retail, and healthcare.
Driven by our promise of "Positive Innovation," we have established ourselves as a leading player in addressing the growing complexity of economic, technological, and regulatory environments.
Press contact
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