France's Numericable-SFR unveiled a new management structure and revealed that it is seeking a new CEO to replace Eric Denoyer.
In a release issued last week, the operator said a new CEO would be named sometime in January and noted that Denoyer would keep a seat on the board. According to Les Echos, Numericable-SFR chairman Michel Combes is to take on the CEO role in the interim period.
Denoyer was a key architect of the merger between SFR and Numericable following SFR's acquisition by Altice. However, the company has been losing customers following a period of cost cutting and restructuring. Citing figures from Deutsche Bank, Reuters said it lost around 1.3 million mobile customers last year while its rivals continued to gain market share.
Numericable-SFR could also face a new challenge if Orange and Bouygues Telecom eventually merge. The two companies said last week that they were discussing several options.
In a statement, Combes thanked Denoyer for his "exceptional" commitment over the past 11 years and for his involvement in the integration of Numericable, SFR, Virgin Mobile, Completel and Telindus. Denoyer was previously CEO of Numericable.
Combes -- the former CEO of Alcatel-Lucent who was appointed as chairman four months ago -- also announced that the future executive committee of Numericable-SFR would be organised into three pillars: commerce, operations and support. The company is also seeking a new executive director for B2C to replace Eric Klipfel, who is leaving to join Altice.
Guillaume de Lavallade has been appointed head of the enterprise division, while Christophe Delaye is the new head of IT and Emeric Dont will be in charge of process and quality of service. Florence Cauvet has also been appointed head of human resources while Régis Turrini is to take on the role of general secretary. The appointments will all take effect by the end of the first quarter.
Combes said the new team would help SFR reach its goal of becoming the market leader in the provision of "ultra broadband" services and content. He told Les Echos that the operator, which has carried out some aggressive promotions in recent months, saw positive net sales in the fourth quarter of last year.
For more:
- see this Numericable-SFR release
- see this Reuters article
- see this Les Echos article
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