Remi Kaeppelin takes over the presidency of the Breton research institute B

The Brittany-based technological research institute (IRT) B-Com has a new president. Rémi Kaeppelin, technical director of TowerCo and general manager of Itas, two entities of the infrastructure and digital network operator TDF, takes over as chairman of the board as of April 1 for a one-year term. He succeeds Guillaume Tardiveau, director of value creation and communication at Orange, as part of a rotating presidency among the various investor members of B-Com.

A graduate of Centrale Supelec and the University of Cambridge, Rémi Kaeppelin has spent most of his career at TDF. In 2017, he was appointed director of real estate and infrastructure for the group. In 2020, he joined the TowerCo division, where he became director of engineering and deployment, then technical director. In 2023, he was also named general manager of the subsidiary Itas.

At the helm of B-Com, the leader aims to “support the growth of strategic technological areas” of the institute, particularly digital sovereignty and artificial intelligence (AI).

The organization, which has 25 members in Rennes, Lannion, and Brest, also works on topics such as industrial process efficiency, digital twins, computer vision, green digital, and connectivity. Obvios, its subsidiary dedicated to private 5G (42 employees), recently requested placement in safeguarding procedure due to a market that is struggling to take off.