Alcatel-Lucent CEO Michel Combes is to step down from that role, and move to telecoms powerhouse investor Altice, according to a French magazine.
Combes’ last day at the telecoms vendor will be 15 July, with his term at Altice set to start in…
Alcatel-Lucent CEO Michel Combes is to step down from that role, and move to telecoms powerhouse investor Altice, according to a French magazine.
Combes’ last day at the telecoms vendor will be 15 July, with his term at Altice set to start in September, reports Challenges. In his new role, he would reportedly oversee European strategy.
Combes has resigned from his role as independent non-executive director on the board of directors at Altice, the Luxembourg-based company announced on 5 June.
According to an Alcatel-Lucent spokesperson, Combes has “already officially announced that he intends to step down from his current position as part of the proposed merger between Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia… At this stage, no date has been agreed with the Board of Directors”. An official statement will follow when appropriate, the spokesperson added.
A spokesperson for Altice was not immediately available to respond to a request for comment.
Combes moved from Vodafone to the top job at Alcatel-Lucent in 2013, and earlier this year brokered the €14.56bn all-share sale of the latter to rival Nokia.
Announcing the deal in April, Combes said he would not hold a role in the eventual combined group.
Since taking Europe by storm, buying up assets including French cellco SFR and incumbent PT Portugal Telecom, Altice last month turned its attention to the US. There, it has agreed to buy regional cableco Suddenlink for US$9.1bn and was linked to interest in the significantly larger Time Warner Cable.
Altice founder Patrick Drahi has said he would like the group to split revenue evenly across Europe and the US.
