Alcatel-Lucent Names Michel Combes as CEO
Alcatel-Lucent's board of directors has named Michel Combes as the company's new CEO, effective April 1. Combes is also slated to join the company's board of directors.
Combes, 51 has more than 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. He was CEO of Vodafone Europe and a board member of Vodafone. During his career, he has held the positions of chairman and CEO of TDF as well as chief financial officer and senior executive vice president of France Telecom.
Philippe Camus, chairman of the board said, "It is a great pleasure for us to welcome Michel Combes to Alcatel-Lucent. His deep knowledge of the industry, as well as his experience of major business and financial transformation at a worldwide level, will be pivotal in helping the company pursue its aggressive transformation, while meeting customer needs with disruptive innovation. I would like to warmly thank Ben Verwaayen for his years of service for the company and wish him all the best for his future endeavors. Ben and Michel will work closely together over the next few weeks to ensure a smooth transition."
Combes called Alcatel-Lucent "an unrivalled technology leader in the telecommunications industry, with an immense array of talent and capabilities in R&D facing major challenges." In a statement, he said further that he knows Alcatel-Lucent well, "and I look forward to succeeding Ben, working with the key international customers, and driving the business into sustained profitability for its customers, employees, and shareholders."
Alcatel-Lucent's board of directors also named Jean C. Monty as vice chairman of the board. Monty, 64, began his career at Bell Canada in 1974 and held numerous positions in the BCE (Bell Canada Enterprises) group. He joined Nortel Networks in October 1992 as president and chief operating officer before being named president and CEO in March 1993. In April 2002, Monty, then chairman of the board and CEO of Bell Canada Enterprises, retired after a 28-year career.