PARIS (Reuters) – Atos’ board said on Tuesday it opposes the “attempts to destabilize” Sycomore AM founder Cyril Charlot, who is calling for the resignation of the group’s current chairman, and of Léo Apotheker, his chosen candidate to replace him. following the publication the previous day of an interview given to Figaro.
Sycomore Asset Management, a minority shareholder in the IT services specialist, has for months called for Bertrand Meunier, chairman of the group, to step down.
“The results have been disastrous from all points of view since Bertrand Meunier took over the presidency of Atos in 2019”, declared Figaro Cyril Charlot, who proposes the appointment as administrator of Léo Apotheker, former head of SAP and Hewlett Packard.
“I find it absurd that the Atos board does not have at least a third of its members who really understand the businesses and the technologies”, Léo Apotheker declared to the daily, however, given that the group’s strategic plan “seems to be going in”. the right direction.”
Atos’ board said in a press release that it was “surprised” by this comment, which validates and at the same time criticizes the group’s strategy.
“These attacks are solely intended to destabilize a group that is mobilized to implement its recovery and its strategy to create value for all its stakeholders, while Messrs Léo Apotheker and Cyril Charlot are unaware of the effective functioning of Atos governance ,” it replied. Board of Directors.
Sycomore Asset Management, a minority shareholder in Atos, believes in a letter dated 1 June to Atos and communicated to the press that Bertrand Meunier has “a significant part of the responsibility in the management crisis” that the group has faced.
Atos’ board has unanimously voted against a proposal to dismiss Bertrand Meunier’s tenure as director, backed by minority shareholders, which will be put to a shareholder vote at the group’s AGM on 28 June.
After a turbulent period marked by a government crisis and heavy losses, Atos has launched a project to spin off its digital and cyber security activities into a new entity, renamed Eviden. Its historical activities, especially outsourcing, will be placed in Tech Foundations, which has attracted the interest of Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky.
(Writing by Kate Entringer, Editing by Blandine Hénault)
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