Henri Proglio resigned Tuesday, May 12 at the non-executive Chairman of Thales, on the eve of the General Assembly which was to appoint him to the post, after six months of psychodrama between the main shareholders, the state and the aircraft manufacturer Dassault, about governance advocacy group.
The former boss of EDF and Veolia made the sensational announcement in an interview with Le Monde denouncing a “campaign” against him Bercy “for political considerations.”
“I’m tired of suspicion, of humiliation,” he said. “You have to stop taking me for a clown, a spy, a glutton, a traitor …”, he has added.
Henri Proglio was responding to the Ministry of Economy, which considers that its relations, particularly with the Russian government agency for Atomic Energy Rosatom, are likely to create “conflicts of interest”.
“It was normal that we ask of Henri Proglio choose between eminent functions leader, even non-executive, head of Thales and real commitments, paying with major players in the military and civilian sector, particularly nuclear, Russian, “said Emmanuel Macron, on the sidelines of a signed as part of the investment plan Juncker.
ethical problem for the government
“It seemed incompatible us. It’s an ethical issue and conflict of interest, “he added. “I have not fed campaign, I have respect for the man, for he was the leader at the head of Veolia and EDF,” said he said.
Believing that Henri Proglio “itself has drawn conclusions without us asking him to give up,” Emmanuel Macron assured that what mattered was “the stability and development of Thales’ first.
He also hinted that its position was supported by the president Francois Hollande and Prime Minister, Manuel Valls.
About his future salary at Thales, about which he had also been involved, Henri Proglio assured the World that he had “never demanded anything.”
“I am given to Thales Compensation Committee. It I was told it would be 360,000 euros. This would ultimately be 140,000 euros, which I accepted. I only expressed my displeasure because, again, we did not respect the word. It was not a matter of amount, “he he said.
Nevertheless, this decision means that the CEO of Thales, Patrice Caine, who was to give his position as chairman of the group to Henri Proglio while remaining executive managing director, could maintain for the time his current position as head of defense electronics group.
“Contacts will be made in the coming hours” to organize the replacement of Henri Proglio, simply stated Emmanuel Macron.
Questioned by AFP, the advocacy group has declined to comment. Dassault also refused to comment on the report.
Henri Proglio cessation occurs after six months of psychodrama about the governance of the group, born after the unexpected departure of its then CEO, Jean Bernard Lévy, EDF.
This decision by the Elysee was annoyed Dassault Aviation, who had learned it from the press while the aircraft manufacturer is bound by a shareholders’ agreement with the State Thales around.
The State holds 26.36% of Thales and Dassault Aviation 25.28%
After weeks of dissension, two shareholders had reached an agreement on December 23 under which Patrice Caine was named CEO of Thales pending the appointment of Henri Proglio as non-executive chairman at general meetings.
Patrice Caine was in this scheme retain its General Director.
But other difficulties had arisen about the balance between the state and Dassault within the Thales Board of Directors, which led to postpone the holding of the general meeting, originally scheduled early February. The government wanted to “perpetuate the dominance of the state in the binder of the concert (…) to Dassault Aviation.”
The State and Dassault agreed in mid-April each designate an additional member to the board, or 6 for the government, Dassault Aviation for 5 total from 16 to 18.
In addition to its mandates at Rosatom, as revealed in Challenges Monday, Henri Proglio is also a director of the holding company for the Russian bank Rossiya … under Western sanctions, since the annexation of the Crimea.
Although less known than Rosatom, this type of company “trustee” Yet nothing of the small Siberian SMEs. Created in December 2011, she manages the shares of majority shareholders of the Russian bank Rossiya, one of the twenty largest banks in the country, based in St. Petersburg. Now this bank is not unknown in European and US governments: it is in Western sanctions since March 2014 in response to the Ukrainian crisis and annexation of Crimea. Ditto for its founder and largest shareholder, the oligarch Yuri Kovalchuk , whose participation in Rossiya is precisely managed by ABR Management.
(With AFP)
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