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Michel Matas

Strategic Legal & Regulatory Advisor

About Me

With over 25 years of international experience, Michel Matas is a senior strategic advisor and legal expert with a deep knowledge in M&A, Transactions, Techs, regulated markets, competition, and industrial transformation. He combines a rare dual background: Partner in leading international law firms (Bird&Bird, De Gaulle), and Executive General Counsel and Board Member of major European groups (Altice, Indexia). This hybrid profile enables him to support decision-makers at both strategic and operational levels. Michel Matas is recognized for his ability to operate at the intersection of law, business strategy, and regulation. His expertise spans Telecommunications & Media, Space & New Technologies, Market Regulation & Public Policy, Competition & Economic Law, Compliance & Governance, M&A, Private Equity & Industrial Restructuring, sophisticated and complex contractual issues and litigations. He advises corporations, investors, and public stakeholders on high-stakes transactions, regulatory strategy, crisis management, and litigation with strong technical or economic components. Michel Matas brings a deep understanding of power structures, regulatory ecosystems, and decision-making dynamics within large organizations and state-influenced markets. His background within executive committees, boards, and highly sensitive environments allows him to decode institutional behavior, anticipate regulatory and political risk, advise on strategic positioning in complex ecosystems and support influence, negotiation, and intelligence-driven decision processes. He is French and Spanish native speaker, bilingual in English and speaks also Italian.

Jurisdiction

France | Spain | Chile

Experience

Seniority LevelExecutive
Years of Experience20+ years
Current StatusActive
Independent AdvisorMichel Matas
2025 - Present

Advising corporations, investors, and stakeholders operating at the nexus of law, regulation, and innovation.

PartnerDe Gaulle law firm
2023 - 2024

Partner in charge of the regulated sectors including space law, telecommunications, media and transportation handling both transactional and litigation cases, encompassing aspects of business law, public law, and competition law. Led a major negotiation of a high-speed train manufacture agreement in the context of the liberalisation of the railway market in France and created the new Space law expertise of the firm.

Executive General Counsel and Compliance OfficerIndexia
2020 - 2023

Excom member in charge of legal and regulatory activities of a group (turnover of app. Eur 500 million) offering new technologies products and services. Led the international development of the group in Spain, Belgium and Italy (creation of subsidiaries and related legal and regulatory support and rolling out of retail business network with more than 100 stores).

Executive General Counsel and Compliance OfficerAltice
2018 - 2020

Excom member in charge of legal and regulatory activities and strategy of the second largest telecommunications operator and fourth TV & Media group in France (Turnover of app. Eur 12 billion and app. 10.000 employees). Member of the board of several companies of the group. Led reorganization of legal and regulatory departments and the management of the portfolio of litigation. Co-led the rationalization of the cost-cutting program. Also in charge of setting up and managing compliance policies of the group.

PartnerBird&Bird LLP
2014 - 2017

Partner and head of the Telecom and Competition group in the Paris Office. Spearheaded the Space and Telecom practice. Expanded client portfolio with French and International groups, international organizations and French public actors.

BarristerIndividual Practice
2013 - 2014

Assisting clients in regulatory and legal matters.

CEO & FounderThe Fibershop France
2011 - 2013

Created and grew a company (master franchise) specialized in the distribution of telecom products (10 shops in France – 35 employees). Successfully sold it to a major operator in France.

Executive General Counsel and Compliance OfficerAltice
2004 - 2011

Member of the management team which created a company that acquired all the cable assets and networks in France (now known as Numericable), as well as a major professional and B2B operator called Completel, creating the second largest local loop operator in France. Co-led the growth of the group from zero to a Euro 1.5 billion business with 2000 employees in 6 years. Particular focus on M&A and conduct of change. Excom member and member of the board of several companies of the group.

AssociateBird&Bird LLP
1999 - 2004

Associate in the Paris Office

AssociateArchibald Andersen
1998 - 1999

Associate

Skills

Core skills0
Languages4

Languages

English
Italian
French
Spanish