Orla Noonan

About Orla Noonan

Orla Noonan is a French-Irish executive widely recognized for her strong background in corporate governance, media, and digital businesses, as well as for her experience with listed companies and growth transactions. A graduate of HEC Paris in 1994 and of Trinity College Dublin with a BA in Economics in 1992, she began her career in 1994 in London at Salomon Brothers as a financial analyst focused on the media and telecommunications sectors. That early investment banking experience gave her a deep understanding of capital markets, corporate finance, and strategic valuation. In 1996, she joined Groupe AB as Director in charge of business development, mergers and acquisitions, and financial communications. In that role, she led major strategic transactions, including IPOs in New York and Paris, as well as external growth initiatives such as the acquisitions of RTL9 and TMC. She also served as Chairwoman of the television channel NT1 from 2005 to 2010. Her progression at Groupe AB continued with her appointment as Executive Vice President in 1999 and her election to the Board of Directors in 2003. As CEO of Groupe AB from 2014 to 2018, she oversaw a new expansion phase by acquiring several independent production companies, strengthening the group’s position as a leading French producer and distributor of audiovisual content. Noonan is also known for her governance expertise. In 2018, she was appointed Chairwoman of the Board of Adevinta, the global leader in online classifieds. She has served as an independent director of SMCP and Agence France-Presse since 2019, and previously held board roles at Iliad and Schibsted Media Group. At Believe, she plays a significant governance role as an independent board member and Chairwoman of the Nomination and Compensation Committee, drawing on her experience in strategy, finance, innovation, and oversight of listed organizations.