William Rozé shares how Capgemini helps innovative organizations unleash their R&D potential to engineer the products and services of tomorrow
I started in this industry 20 years ago with Altran Technologies, contributing to the company’s growth in the Southwest of France, close to Toulouse. Much more recently, after its acquisition by Capgemini, I was appointed as the CEO of Capgemini Engineering, joining the Group executive board three years ago now,” begins William Rozé, CEO of Capgemini Engineering and Group Executive Board Member.
In fact, William has been CEO of Capgemini Engineering since 2021; joining the Capgemini Group Executive Board in 2022. Prior to this, he was a member of the Altran Group’s Executive Committee from 2015 and Executive Vice-President in charge of Europe. In 2018, William was appointed Executive Vice-President, Chief Operating Officer for Europe at Altran. From 2014 to 2018 he was Altran’s Chief Executive Officer for France. He joined the Altran group in 2001, in Toulouse and managed the French subsidiary. During this time, he developed Altran’s activities in aeronautics, space and defense and helped in launching Altran’s first ER&D programs.
“Capgemini is recognized as a global leader in partnering with companies to transform and manage their business by harnessing the power of technology. We focus on helping drive value in three key areas: customer experience, intelligent industry, and enterprise management. As we do this, we help our clients embrace key technologies such as cloud, data, and artificial intelligence, and work to improve their cybersecurity and environmental impact. Thanks to deep, sector-specific expertise, we can develop solutions that are aligned to our clients’ unique challenges and can help them meet their specific objectives,” he explains.
Unleashing potential
Capgemini Engineering focuses on integrating digital tools into physical engineering. This is more than a technological evolution, it’s a chance to reshape the entire product development process. It enables companies to accelerate development cycles, enhance quality assurance, and develop intelligent solutions that are both smarter and more responsive to changing customer needs. Most importantly, it creates exciting new opportunities for innovation and growth.
“The Capgemini Engineering team comprises almost 60,000 engineers and scientists, in 30 countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East and APAC, working across multiple industries including aeronautic, automotive, telecoms, media and tech, as well as in process industries like energy and life sciences. Most of our clients in North America and Europe especially, but also APAC, are looking at reshaping their competitive advantage; not only in terms of value and time to market, but also in how they can reduce their own costs and enhance efficiency,” he shares.
Indeed, Capgemini helps clients by applying expertise in technology, data science, and creative design to provide strategy, innovation, and transformation consulting. By fostering synergies between the digital and the engineering worlds, it helps clients to unleash their R&D potential and engineer intelligent products, operations, and services, at scale.
“We are at the forefront of innovation and are passionate about its potential as a pathway to sustainable growth and a better way of working and living. Together with our clients and partners, we uncover what’s next and make it a reality for genuine business impact. From rigorous frameworks that accelerate innovation, to high-intensity R&D to prove out the value of new technologies, we help our clients anticipate future trends, assess their potential, and take advantage of them responsibly.
“The automotive industry, for example, is sitting at the verge of a dual revolution. On one hand they are transitioning to electric vehicle battery production at scale, and innovating for efficiency, sustainability, and rapid growth is more crucial than ever,” William continues. “Battery manufacturers are all racing to increase speed to production, speed to market, and speed to revenue. Building a gigafactory with successful and profitable battery production requires advanced technologies and processes that can offset production costs, reduce total cost of ownership (TOC), and ultimately accelerate EV adoption. As such, our engineering teams are helping organizations build gigafactories from pilot to production. In a race where time is of the essence, our accelerated solutions environment (ASE) can fast-track client progress.
“On the other hand, the European and American OEMs are under immense pressure to step change their engineering productivity and organization, to reduce costs and increase their agility on the global scene.
“In that perspective, we have been working with one client on the management of their chain of approximately 2000 suppliers over the course of two years with the aim of reducing both the cost and environmental impact of package shipments. Thanks to our expertise in automotive engineering and supply chain, we have been able to optimize more than 35 million shipments throughout unstable environment and disruptions, delivering more than €4 million of savings as well as 150kt of CO₂ emissions,” he elaborates.
“Our recent survey on engineering, research and development trends highlighted four main strategic imperatives. The first involves legacy engineering operations and how processes can be modernized to maintain profitability and cost efficiency, as well as reduce time to market. The second explores how digital engineering can be used to create value by leveraging software and AI to drive transformation. The third focuses on dedicated investment in sustainability, and finally, the fourth demands agility. In fact, 71 percent of decision makers intend to increase their use of outsourcing for engineering workflow to help foster greater agility .”
Hybrid AI 
In terms of leveraging software, William shares how generative AI and other forms of AI are creating new opportunities to reshape the future. In the world of the data economy, organizations are embracing new landscapes of connectivity, interactions, and creations. “In the field of engineering, where bias and hallucinations present mission critical risks, the new forms of AI – be it generative or agentic – often need hybridization with classical controlled AI systems and/or human oversight. We call this approach Hybrid AI, and it is the basis of our ‘augmented engineering’ solutions that we have designed to fundamentally transform engineering practices in the coming decade.
“What’s important is knowing how to use these powerful tools to create trusted value. Capgemini helps clients use digital technologies to unlock the potential of their physical and digital worlds; to help clients look at what they already have in a different light, revolutionizing and securing everything from products, to processes, to supply chains.”
Indeed, William reinforces how Capgemini supports its clients to reorganize their own operations, which intrinsically adds value as well as creates positive sustainable impact. “Within the automotive industry, sustainability and carbon emissions represent an urgent priority. Many manufacturers have identified unique solutions to this challenge. For Renault Group, one of the largest multinational automobile manufacturers in the world, this came in the form of a new brand: Mobilize. Mobilize wanted to refine the design of its electric quadricycle, Duo, and its utility version, Bento, to ensure that they would be sustainable, affordable, and suited to the needs of urban drivers. The brand engaged the Capgemini’s engineering team, which challenged numerous elements of the initial design to help ensure the established cost, sustainability, and timeline objectives were met. The result of this two-year partnership is a two-seat urban vehicle, engineered in France, and revealed in October 2024. This updated version of the Duo integrates over 40 percent recycled material. Through our collaboration with Mobilize we determined the materials and methodology needed to support this design and ensure that development could take place within the desired timeline.”
This innovation extends to the company’s own internal operations and approach to sustainability. “We set up an Energy Command Center (ECC) in Bangalore, India,” William continues, “in partnership with Schneider Electric, for real-time monitoring and control of the energy supply of our eight campuses in India. This resulted in huge savings in the Group’s energy consumption. Such actions align with our commitment to sustainable transition, recognizing the importance of efficient energy management in reducing environmental impact and promoting long-term sustainability.”
Innovation is at the heart of Capgemini’s ethos and looking at the company’s culture, William shares his privilege to be in a sector that supports so many different industries. “We experience innovation every day and do our best to contribute. We are passionate about working in a multicultural environment and a dynamic, ever-changing industry. Looking to the future, many organizations are starting to reach a level of maturity in terms of readiness to incorporate AI and other technologies into their processes. From automated workflows to autonomous machinery, we are entering a phase of adoption that will bring speed and scale to many different industries.
“For example, there are two ways to see cybersecurity: as a source of vulnerability, risk, and expense or as a driver of transformation. The difference is the confidence clients have in the resilience of their approach. We deliver the most elusive element in cybersecurity today: confidence. We bring together a business-focused approach, sector-specific expertise, advanced technology, and thousands of skilled professionals to deliver end-to-end portfolio services,” he concludes. “We champion ethical and responsible solutions that drive efficiency and generate greater value for our clients and indeed, for all of us.”