"Atos Origin Supervisory Board appoints Thierry Breton as CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of Atos Origin"
The Supervisory Board of Atos Origin chaired by Jean-Philippe Thierry convened on 16 November 2008.
The Supervisory Board members decided unanimously to appoint Thierry Breton as CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of Atos Origin to replace Philippe Germond who leaves the Group.
The Supervisory Board thanked Philippe Germond for his contribution at the head of Atos Origin for making the organisation evolve and for returning the Company back to growth.
Thierry Breton was Deputy General Manager and then Chief Operating Officer of Bull group from 1993 to 1996, CEO of Thomson group from 1997 to 2002, CEO of France Telecom from 2002 to 2005. Thierry Breton was Minister of Economy and Finance in France from February 2005 to May 2007.
The Supervisory Board has appointed Thierry Breton in order to allow the Company to accelerate the roll-out of its transformation plan, refocus on key businesses and reinforce its market share.
Jean-Philippe Thierry, Chairman of Supervisory Board declared: “Thierry Breton brings outstanding entrepreneurial, international and industry experience from leading large companies in the IT sector, in new technologies and telecommunications. He will rely on solid existing foundations to further grow and strengthen the Group. He will lead the strategy of the Group in order to face and overcome the challenges of the current economic environment and to start a new step in its development. All the members of the Supervisory Board and myself fully trust Thierry Breton to enhance rapidly the value for all shareholders.”
Thierry Breton said: “I am very glad to join a European Group with solid positionings across promising markets in 40 countries, with more than 50,000 staff whose technical skills and professionalism are recognised worldwide. The Company has stable shareholders with great and legitimate ambitions for its development.”
The Supervisory Board will propose at the next Annual General Meeting a change of the articles of association to transform the Company into a “Société Anonyme” with a “Conseil d’Administration” (Board of Directors), instead of the current Supervisory and Management Boards. Thierry Breton will be proposed as Chief Executive Officer of Atos Origin under the future legal structure.