Teleperformance will change leadership on 15 March as founder Daniel Julien steps back and Jorge Amar takes over to lead the company’s shift toward artificial intelligence (AI).
Julien will leave his operational position alongside senior executive Thomas Mackenbrock, ending a long management period at the company founded in 1978.
Deputy chief executive and finance chief Olivier Rigaudy will also retire. He will remain an adviser until the end of 2026 to support the transition.
The board has appointed Jorge Amar as chief executive.
Amar was previously a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, where he led the global Digital Customer Care practice. He advised companies on using technology and artificial intelligence in customer service operations.
He holds a degree in accounting from the University of Buenos Aires and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
In a statement, Amar thanked board chairman Moulay Hafid Elalamy and founder Julien for their support. He said the company would speed up the rollout of technology and expand its digital services.
Julien started Teleperformance in Paris with 10 telephone lines. The company later expanded into a global outsourcing group operating in about 100 countries with nearly 500,000 employees.
His departure marks the end of the founder-led period.
The leadership change comes as artificial intelligence reshapes the customer service outsourcing industry.
In 2024, the financial technology company Klarna said its AI assistant was doing work previously handled by 700 agents. The announcement raised concerns about automation across the sector.
Teleperformance’s response is its “Future Forward” strategy. The plan focuses on automating repetitive tasks, supporting agents with AI tools in real time and expanding services such as digital transformation consulting and content moderation.
Outsourcing companies traditionally charge clients based on the number of calls handled or the time spent by agents.
Teleperformance now aims to move toward pricing based on results and service value as AI systems handle simple requests automatically.
New tools can analyse conversations, suggest responses to agents and produce automatic summaries after calls. Translation tools also allow agents to communicate with customers in different languages.
The company also plans to strengthen cybersecurity as AI becomes more widely used in its operations.
Teleperformance handles large volumes of customer data for clients including banks and technology companies.
With around 500,000 employees worldwide, the group says it will invest in training programmes to help workers move into new digital roles.
Board chairman Moulay Hafid Elalamy, founder of the Saham group and a former Moroccan industry minister, took the role in 2024.
He is expected to oversee the company’s strategy while Amar leads operational changes.
Teleperformance says the new leadership will support its next stage of development and its targets through 2028.
