Their tax rises in principle to EUR 359First industrial retain significant budgetsBowfounds Marignan realizes from the EhpadAll of the staff concerned will be a position elsewhere in ChanelChurchill in more difficult circumstances was reachedMany unknowns still persist at this stage3 billion posted at the beginning of the yearAll our hotels are empty said Nicolas VionThree policemen were also injured in this operation4 billion euros in interest paid by banksNamed the week last CEO of Atos Origin by the General Assembly and the Board of Directors, Thierry Breton took the publication of the 2008 results to assign new financial, more ambitious goals in the French computer services group. The new boss stressed the need to restore this year operating margins that it considered to be "poor", and well below the competition last year, 4.8 of the turnover. As a comparison, Capgemini has identified last year twice greater than 8.5 margin.
But despite the current economic crisis which will be "long and hard," Thierry Breton said that his "TOP" (for Total Operation Performance) plan will enable the Group of "this catch and be at the level of the best in 2011". Atos Origin table and on an increase of 50 to 100 basis points"of his margin for this year, the plan to three years to implement fully its impact on fiscal years 2010 and 2011. With regard to turnover, it should be "slightly negative growth", of the order of 2 per cent this year than in 2008. Results and perspectives that were not fully satisfied analysts, action Atos Origin yesterday giving 3.51 at the close of the Paris stock exchange.
As regards fiscal year 2008, the Group announced yesterday a profit net 52 to EUR 23 million, lower than the expectations of analysts, for a turnover already published 5.479 million euros, in progress of 5.6 over a year, perimeter and comparable exchange rates. This result was cut by costs of 103 million restructuring and impairment of assets for $ 226 million. Net has for his debt was reduced to 304 million, against 338 million a year earlier.
Declaring not be able to "satisfy" a level of profitability, Thierry Breton has singled out the current "weaknesses" of the second French computer services group to which it to tackle. In the first place Atos Origin "is not sufficiently integrated", according to him, but the establishment of a new organization should bring him "more transversality". Another problem, Atos innovation capabilities are still too scattered: they will be now integrated in a specific division. Thierry Breton wants his group as "one of the leaders" in new technologies such as "cloud computing" or virtual communities.
To achieve these goals, Thierry Breton has convinced the shareholders and the directors of the need to establish a new governance with Board of Directors in place and place of the previous structure Supervisory Board and Executive Board. An organization "more appropriate" which should reduce the risk of disagreements with certain shareholders as to experienced Atos in the recent past. The battle between the former direction and funds Pardus and Centaurus has left traces... Thierry Breton has therefore chosen to surround two faithful who have rank of Deputy Directors. Past as the former Minister of finance by Bull, Thomson and France Telecom, Charles Dehelly will be in charge of all operations. And Gilles Grapinet, a General Inspector of finance who was stationed in Bercy, will lead the core functions of the group. They will be to first accelerate the integration of the Group and improve its responsiveness.
