Guillaume Boutin will leave the Proximus Group in mid-May to become CEO of Vodafone Investments & Strategy, the telecom group announced on Friday evening.
Boutin has worked at Proximus for seven years and has been CEO since December 2019. The board of directors expressed regret over his departure and will begin searching for a successor.
Last year, Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA) parliamentarian Michael Freilich and Mouvement Réformateur (MR) chairman Georges-Louis Bouchez criticised Proximus, citing Boutin’s policies and the drop in share value.
As a result, Boutin and Proximus board chairman Stefaan De Clerck were summoned to explain themselves to the federal parliament’s Public Companies Committee.
Proximus praised Boutin’s tenure, highlighting significant advancements in fibre and 5G deployment in Belgium and agreements to minimise fibre network duplication.
Under Boutin’s leadership, Proximus also launched ventures such as Proximus NXT and Proximus Global, positioning itself as a leading operator in Belgium with strong commercial results.
Boutin said he believes Proximus is well-prepared for the future, supported by strong foundations and talented staff. He expressed confidence that the current management team would achieve the company’s ambitions. Boutin said he remained committed to contributing to Proximus’ success until his final day.
Chairman Stefaan De Clerck thanked Boutin for his substantial contributions, noting that his departure would evoke strong emotions within the Proximus community.
De Clerck praised Boutin’s leadership and successful implementation of the Group's strategic transformation programme, which has positioned Proximus for long-term, profitable growth on both domestic and international markets and ensured the deployment of future mobile and fixed networks.
O.Apelblat
The Brussels Times
