France Telecom restructures, changes Orange chief

PARIS, March 31 (AFP) – France Telecom announced late Tuesday broad structural and managerial changes, splitting its business into five operational and five performance divisions under an executive committee headed by chief executive Thierry Breton.

The operator also said that Sol Trujillo was stepping down as CEO of its Orange mobile telephone business, to be replaced by current chief operating officer Sanjiv Ahuja.

The aim of the restructuring was to provide clients with “a broad and consistent range of communication services, independently of the various types of networks (they) use,” France Telecom said in a statement.

Trujillo, who had been CEO since February 2003, will be retained as special adviser to Breton. He will, however, be based in the United States, where he will “pursue a range of business interests”, France Telecom added.

The reorganization was approved at a board meeting Tuesday in Paris.Representing Orange on the executive committee of France Telecom will be Ahuja, the managing director of Orange UK John Allwood, and the managing director of Orange France Didier Quillot.

Previously, Orange had been represented on the executive committee by one person, Trujillo.

The operational divisions are being headed by the enterprise communication services division, which will be responsible for the development of communication services to companies around the world.

They also include a home communication services division, charged with developing services to the home, in particular fixed-line broadband, throughout Europe. It incorporates ISP Wanadoo and Uni2.

The personal communication services division is to be responsible for developing mobile terminals and incorporates Orange.

The remaining two divisions are sales and services, and international, which will develop TPSA Group and the other subsidiaries outside France other than the international operations of Orange, Wanadoo and Equant.

The five Performance Divisions – networks, carriers and IT; technology and innovation; sourcing; TOP program implementation; content aggregation – are responsible for improving the group’s operational performance.

Subject: French news