Alcatel Names Combes CEO as France Said to Consider Stake
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Alcatel-Lucent SA named former Vodafone Group Plc executive Michel Combes as chief, tapping a phone-industry veteran with cost-cutting experience as the French network-equipment maker struggles to return to profit.
The company’s stock rose as much as 3.5 percent after Paris-based Alcatel-Lucent said Combes, 51, will take over on April 1. In his more than 20 years in the telecommunications industry, Combes has reduced expenses at Vodafone and overseen finances at France Telecom SA.