Barely out of a period of financial restructuring, the IT group Atos is preparing to welcome its new CEO Philippe Salle on Monday, which has not yet announced its strategic plan for the giant in difficulty.
Appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors in October, the man will officially acquire his new double cap on Saturday, before his effective entry on Monday.
“I am aware of the challenges that await us, but also from the groups of the group, from the quality of its services to the permanent commitment of its employees, which will allow us, together, to open a new chapter in the history of the group »»said Philippe Salle in a statement released by Atos when he was announced.
An enthronement subject to the formality of a validation Friday of the general meeting of shareholders of the group, after a period of “Harmonious transition” With his predecessor Jean-Pierre Musier.
Coming from an engineer training of the Mines School and passed through the management of the Foncia real estate group, the restaurant company Elior Groupe or the French consulting group in Altran technologies, the new CEO is not A pure tech profile.
He nevertheless offered wages of his commitment to the group by formalizing an investment in the capital of Atos of“At least nine million euros”in order to participate in financial restructuring.
But the “New chapter” Promised by Philippe Salle remains still unknown to this day: the future boss has not announced anything about his strategic plan for the group, whose annual results will be published in early March. Solicited by AFP, the manager did not wish to speak.
Repeated governance changes
After a restructuring plan completed in December and which made it possible to lighten the group’s gross debt, which originally weighed nearly 5 billion euros, of 2.1 billion euros, the markets as the employees remain in expectation.
Arriving at Atos, “Mr. Salle comes to the bedside of a sick child”Comments with AFP Lionel Melka, managing partner at Swann Capital, who judges the company’s division into several entities “Inevitable”.
The group, which lost more than 90% of its value on the stock market in 2024, saw the acquisition of the buyouts and the unsuccessful buyout projects of its activities.
After a soap opera of several months at the end of which the consortium led by the oneepoint company of David Layani then the Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky of the other had given up taking over the company, a recovery agreement had finally been reached by the creditors of band.
But the company continued to carry out disposal projects. At the beginning of December, it notably sold its subsidiary Worldgrid, which designs nuclear power plants, to the French group Alten.
Atos also announced at the end of November, having entered into exclusive negotiations with the State for the sale of strategic activities in its branch « Advanced Computing »which include supercomputer used for nuclear deterrence. Negotiations open until the end of May.
Within the company, unions hope to know soon more about the projects of the new boss.
Especially since group governance has experienced many changes in recent years. In three years, no less than five men have followed one another in the post of managing director, and several of them have attracted internal criticism for their financial profile or their lack of “Strategic vision”.
“We hope he will stay, but we have no guarantee”explains to AFP Fabrice Lorioux, UNSA union representative.
The new CEO may have to answer questions about a file in the hands of justice: in early December, an employee of the company represented by Me Sophie Vermeille sent a report on the practices of the group, pointing out payments to consulting firms up to several hundred million euros.
(tagstotranslate) Depeches