Laurent Obadia

About Laurent Obadia

Laurent Obadia is a senior executive within Veolia Environnement’s governance structure, where he has served since 2022 as Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Stakeholders and Communications and as a member of the Executive Committee. Born in 1972, he has built a career at the crossroads of consulting, institutional relations, and strategic communications, with deep experience in public-private dialogue and corporate influence. His professional path reflects a steady progression through leadership roles in major French and international organizations, especially in settings where reputation, social acceptance, and business transformation are critical. Before joining Veolia, Laurent Obadia spent more than ten years working as a consultant for governments and major French corporations. From 2000 to 2005, he served as an Advisory Director within the Euro RSCG/Havas group, where he developed strong expertise in communication strategy, public affairs, and executive advisory work. In 2005, he joined Veolia Water and, until 2009, headed institutional relations for Africa, the Middle East, and India. In this role, he managed relationships with public authorities and stakeholders across a strategically important and complex region, while also advising the Chairman and CEO of Veolia Water. In 2009, he became advisor to Antoine Frérot, Veolia’s Chairman and CEO. This position placed him close to the center of the Group’s strategic transformation. In 2013, he was appointed head of communications and led the rollout of Veolia’s global positioning, “Resourcing the world,” launched in 2014. That branding and messaging initiative helped reinforce the Group’s identity around ecological transformation, resource recovery, and industrial sustainability. Since 2022, his remit has expanded to include stakeholders, a topic that has become central to Veolia’s corporate strategy. He represents a modern governance approach built on dialogue with customers, local communities, regulators, employees, and civil society. His expertise includes crisis communications, international institutional relations, corporate storytelling, and supporting large-scale industrial transformation across global markets.