Allianz Direct, Doctolib, ArianeGroup: this week's appointments in tech and innovation. From payments to health, from advertising to public affairs, this week's hires reflect the same concern: taking platforms and organizations to a new scale, whether commercial, regulatory or industrial. Payments, insurance and business services. Antoine Grimaud takes over as head of BPCE Merchant Services. BPCE Group appoints Antoine Grimaud, co-founder of Payplug, as chief executive officer of BPCE Merchant Services, its new business unit dedicated to merchant payments in store and online. According to the group, the entity aims to support one in four French merchants by 2030 by combining banking expertise, technology and a commercial network. After founding and then leading Payplug, which Natixis took control of in 2016, Antoine Grimaud is tasked with turning this ambition into a unified offering against established payment platforms. Léa Joussaume takes over as head of Allianz Direct France. Fanny Limare-Wolf leaves the management of Allianz Direct France after three years of launching and consolidating the direct insurer, whose workforce grew from eight to nearly 400 employees. She hands over the general management to Léa Joussaume, who comes from within the company, after Allianz Direct took over Luko's assets and then acquired Friday and Eurofil. Allianz Direct France now claims more than 700,000 policies and three products. Maureen James joins Alan to lead the companies segment. After nine years at Adyen, Maureen James joins Alan as segment owner for companies. She arrived when the payments specialist's Paris office had only about ten people and gradually took charge of revenue marketing teams in France. Her recruitment strengthens Alan's development with companies, the main distribution channel for its health insurance and prevention services. Enguerrand Donat joins Navan to lead commercial account management. After three years at Qonto, where he became lead CSM and manager of the France, Spain and training teams, Enguerrand Donat joins Navan. He will take responsibility for the account management team in the commercial segment, with a role focused on clients and the growth priorities of the travel and expense management platform. An appointment in your team? Let us know. Are you strengthening your teams in innovation, digital, cybersecurity, research or investment? Send your news to the FrenchWeb editorial team for our appointments feature. Specify the name of the appointed person, the company, their new role and start date, and attach the main elements of their background as well as a photo with its credit. The information submitted is reviewed by the editorial team for possible publication. Ecosystem, public affairs and influence. Bettina Reveyron and Arthur Nègre take over the leadership of France Digitale. Bettina Reveyron will become managing director of France Digitale on October 5, 2026, succeeding Maya Noël. Until now director of social impact at Doctolib, she was previously general secretary of Impact AI and a partner at Thinkers & Doers, at the interface between technology, public policy and impact. Alongside her, Arthur Nègre becomes deputy managing director after six years within the association. The tandem will have to carry the challenges of innovation, competitiveness and growth for technology companies, in an organization whose France Digitale Day remains one of the ecosystem's main events. Clément Do Carmo joins Polyfact to structure its development. After a stint in Rodolphe Saadé's office at CMA CGM, Clément Do Carmo joins Polyfact as director of commercial and international development, while investing in the company alongside its founder Victor Forissier. The platform uses AI to aggregate and analyze texts, amendments, debates and hearings from the French Parliament and European institutions for public affairs professionals. Antoine Evennou takes over as head of public affairs at Doctolib. On October 1, Antoine Evennou will take over as head of public affairs at Doctolib, succeeding Camille Vaziaga. After more than five years at the company, she will support the transition until December before joining the École nationale de la magistrature in January. The handover comes as public affairs remains a key post for a digital health platform, at the crossroads of caregivers, administrations and regulation. B2B platforms, adtech and business software. Antoine Hermite takes over as chief executive officer of Sparteo. Sparteo appoints Antoine Hermite as managing director to accelerate its international expansion, carry out technology acquisitions and open an office in the United States. A former deputy managing director of Webedia, where he oversaw a portfolio of €220 million in revenue and 1,200 employees, he notably led the deployment of AI and the transformation of the ad sales house toward largely automated advertising revenue. Geoffroy de Panafieu takes over as head of Cleaq. After eight years at the head of TextMaster within the Acolad group, Geoffroy de Panafieu takes over as head of Cleaq, the B2B entity of mobile.club, replacing Benjamin Charbit and Louis Broutin. His appointment follows a new €30 million financing round completed in 2026. Cleaq wants to make IT equipment rental a standard for companies, while preparing its European expansion from 2027 with its 1,500 clients. François Birade joins Equativ to develop EMEA partnerships. François Birade joins Equativ as director of commercial partnerships for the EMEA region. He will be responsible for developing the advertising platform's relationships with DSPs in the region, as Equativ continues to strengthen its position in retail media, notably after acquiring Kamino Retail. Michaël Malmaison joins RMAN Sync as CFO. After more than three years at Normandie Incubation, where he supported regional deeptech startups, Michaël Malmaison joins RMAN Sync as chief financial officer. The company develops Renovatio, an AI solution designed to help purchasing and procurement departments forecast demand, manage inventory and optimize supplier orders. Health, industry and transitions. Claire Biot takes over as chief executive officer of LFB. After seven and a half years at Dassault Systèmes, Claire Biot becomes chief executive officer of the Laboratoire français du Fractionnement et des Biotechnologies. She takes the head of a biopharma company specialized in plasma-derived medicines, whose activity directly affects the availability of critical treatments. Her appointment comes in a sector where production, supply security and therapeutic innovation are closely linked. Damien Paineau joins L'Oréal R&I on green sciences. Damien Paineau joins L'Oréal research and innovation as international strategic initiatives director. He will work on the environmental objectives of the L'Oréal for the Future 2030 program, particularly reducing indirect value-chain emissions, as well as on anticipating new technologies within the group's Green Sciences Incubator. Ludovic Fraumar becomes chief of staff to ArianeGroup's executive management. After eight years in ArianeGroup and Arianespace launch operations, then three years with the industrial director, Ludovic Fraumar becomes chief of staff to the group's executive chairman. This move brings him closer to the executive committee at a time when ArianeGroup must juggle launch rates, industrial competitiveness and the next generations of European launchers. François Aulibé joins Groupama's communications department. A few months ago, François Aulibé joined the brand and communications team of Groupama group's communications department. He works on the design and deployment of advertising communications as well as on several cross-functional projects. Tech changes fast. Get ahead. The facts, analyses and events to understand what is changing. Mon Wed Fri. Three editions per week.

Kylian mbappé-backed Alan acquires Senegalese healthtech company Tanel. French health-technology company Alan has acquired Senegalese insurer Tanel Health, giving the €5.5 billion ($6.3 billion) company an immediate presence in Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire. 5 hours ago Kylian Mbappé Investor and Ambassador for Alan Health French health-technology company Alan has acquired Senegalese insurer Tanel Health, giving the €5.5 billion ($6.3 billion) company an immediate presence in Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire. The acquisition was reported by the Financial Times, while Alan and Tanel have not disclosed the purchase price or full terms of the transaction. Tanel provides health-insurance cover to approximately 70,000 people across Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire. The company is expected to adopt the Alan name, with Tanel chief executive Mouhamed Ndoye and co-founder Makhtar Diop set to lead Alan's African operations. Tanel's corporate customers include ride-hailing company Yango and fast-food chain KFC, giving Alan an established base of employer clients as it enters the West African market. Alan takes its insurance platform into Africa. Alan was founded in France in 2016 as a digital health-insurance company, offering employers and workers access to insurance management, healthcare consultations, claims and preventive-health services through its digital platform. The company has since expanded into Belgium, Spain and Canada and now serves more than one million members. Its customers include Volkswagen Spain and France's finance ministry. The Tanel acquisition gives Alan an operating business in two African markets, including an existing customer base and local knowledge of insurance regulation and healthcare networks. In June, Alan raised €480 million ($550 million) at a valuation of €5.5 billion. Prosus invested €400 million ($460 million) through a combination of new and existing shares, with Teachers' Venture Growth, Index Ventures and Dara Holdings also participating. Prosus was created from the international technology investment portfolio of South African company Naspers and has investments spanning fintech, food delivery, education and e-commerce. Footballer Kylian Mbappé also became an Alan investor and ambassador in 2026, with his involvement focused on promoting exercise and preventive healthcare through the company's platform. His investment in Alan does not indicate involvement in the Tanel transaction. Tanel gives Alan an established West African base. Tanel was valued at approximately $7.5 million in 2024 and had raised funding from investors including Nigeria-based Ventures Platform and Japan's AAIC Investment. The acquisition provides those investors with an exit from the business, while giving Alan access to a company that has already built relationships with customers and healthcare providers in Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire. Tanel's existing presence gives Alan an established entry point into West Africa, with approximately 70,000 members already using its services. Alan reported annual recurring revenue of more than €800 million in the first quarter of 2026, with the Financial Times putting the figure at approximately €840 million. The company remains loss-making, meaning its expansion into Africa will need to generate sufficient insurance and healthcare revenue to support the cost of claims, technology and local operations. Competition in African health insurance. Alan is entering markets where private health-insurance coverage remains relatively limited and healthcare payments are often made directly by households. Insurers also face fragmented healthcare systems, limited health data and varying levels of consumer trust across African markets. Tanel gives Alan an existing operating platform to adapt its digital insurance model to local market conditions. The acquisition could also provide a base for further expansion across Africa as the company looks beyond its European markets. Reporting for Business Tech Africa on the funding, tools and strategy shaping the continent's founders and SMEs. Was this useful? 0 reactions