After graduating from HEC Paris in 1997, Karine Dussert-Sarthe began her career as a strategy consultant. She then moved into senior leadership roles in marketing, communications, customer relations, innovation and operations roles, both in France and internationally. During a period in Australia, she notably served as Chief of Staff to the CEO of Telstra, the country’s leading telecoms company.

In 2019, she joined the Executive Committee of Orange Innovation, where she oversaw products and services for the company’s 26 national markets and led its open-innovation efforts. In late 2023, she joined the Executive Committee of Orange France, taking charge of the region around Paris—the company’s largest regional division, with around 6,000 employees—while also leading Orange’s successful role in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

She was appointed Director of TGV-Intercités on 18 May and then Deputy Managing Director of SNCF Voyageurs in July 2026.