French telecom giant, Altice group has announced the appointment of long serving senior telecoms executive, Michel Combes as both Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Group and as Chairman of the Board of Numericable-SFR. Prior to the appointment, Michel Combes, 53, was the CEO of Alcatel-Lucent and has held numerous top leadership roles including CEO of Vodafone Europe, Chairman and CEO of TDF as well as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Executive Vice President of France Telecom. He graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique and the Paris Telecoms School.
Founded by telecom entrepreneur, Patrick Drahi, Altice is a multinational cable, fiber, telecommunications, contents and media company with presence in three regions - Western Europe (comprising France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland), Israel and the Overseas Territories (currently comprising the French Caribbean and the Indian Ocean regions and the Dominican Republic).
Patrick Drahi, President of Altice
I am very pleased that Michel, whom I have known for over 20 years, has decided to join us to help structure the Group's operations and to harmonize our best practices throughout our subsidiaries and countries. He will bring a solid experience both in mobile and fixed operations and is a talented and appreciated manager.
Dexter Goei, Altice CEO
We are extremely pleased with the arrival of Michel Combes, one of the most experienced and knowledgeable executives in the Global Telecom industry. His deep experience in the international telecom sector will help significantly reinforce our ability to successfully operate and integrate all of our affiliates and to continue to grow our footprint in new territories.
