Atos reshapes management team and board to implement adjusted strategy
Atos , following the recommendation of the Nominations and
Governance Committee, announces that Paul Saleh has been appointed Chief
Executive Officer of the Group, by the Board of Directors, taking over from
Yves Bernaert who leaves the Group after an intense period of transformation
for which the Board is thankful. Paul Saleh’s appointment will be effective as
of today. Jacques-François de Prest joins Atos to take over the role of Group
CFO, effective on January 29, 2024.
Atos
also announces the appointments of Sujatha "Suja" Chandrasekaran and
Monika Maurer to the Board of Directors, strengthening its skills in the
strategic areas of digital technologies and major transformation projects.
Further Directors appointments are currently under review, to continue
reinforcing the Board of Directors during this transformation period.
Paul
Saleh will primarily focus on refinancing the Group’s financial debts and
ongoing or coming negotiations concerning, in particular, the sale of its Tech
Foundations business to EPEI and its Big Data & security (BDS) activities
to Airbus. He will work closely with Carlo d’Asaro Biondo, Group General
Manager, who is in charge of business operations, commercial development,
partnerships, product and business delivery efficiency.
Paul
is a seasoned leader within the IT services industry. Most recently, Paul was
CEO of Gainwell Technologies and has held many executive leadership positions
during his distinguished career, including as CFO at CSC/DXC, as CFO and
interim CEO at Sprint Nextel Corporation, as well as senior leadership roles at
Walt Disney Company. Paul has been Group CFO since August 2023. He holds an MBA
from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and a master’s degree
in engineering from the University of Michigan. He will bring his strong
experience and expertise in turnaround of companies, and especially in the IT
industry.
Jacques-François
de Prest joins Atos from Mobivia, where he was CFO and Performance Leader.
Before that he spent over 20 years in the telecommunications industry,
including senior finance roles at both Vodafone and Millicom. Jacques-François
holds a graduate degree from ESCP Europe and an MBA from INSEAD.
Jean Pierre Mustier, Chairman of Atos’s Board of Directors, said: “Paul
is a seasoned senior executive, with extensive experience in corporate finance,
corporate turnarounds and restructuring – including within the technology
industry. He is the right person to lead Atos during this period of
transformation as we take decisive and disciplined action to secure the
long-term sustainability of our business to the benefit of our 105,000
employees, our clients and our investors. I’m also pleased to welcome
Jacques-François de Prest as Group CFO, as well as Sujatha Chandrasekaran and
Monika Maurer, two highly experienced board members.”
Paul Saleh, Chief Executive Officer of Atos, said: “During my time as CFO of Atos
Group, I have gained deep insight into the company and have a clear
understanding of what actions need to be taken to secure a successful and
sustainable future for the Group. I look forward to working with the board,
Carlo d’Asaro Biondo and the management team to implement these measures in the
interest of all stakeholders.”
Yves Bernaert, outgoing Chief Executive Officer of Atos added “I am very proud and
grateful to have been able to work with all team members of Atos. I joined the
business to run its transformation and development. Based on my conviction and
with the support of the board I also worked on adjusting the strategy for the
benefit of the company, its employees and shareholders. Due to a difference of
opinion on the governance to adjust and execute the strategy, I decided to
leave the company. I would like to thank everyone at Atos for their hard work
during my time at the business and I wish Atos and all the teams all the best for the future.”
Leave A Comment