The action of the manufacturer of materials for semiconductors tumbled 14% the day after the announcement of the departure of CEO Paul Boudre next July. A showdown has begun between the board of directors and the executive committee, which criticizes the process of appointing the successor at the head of the group, Pierre Barnabé, from Atos.
Soitec will change boss and opens a crisis of governance, the action plunges | Photo credits: Soitec
Rififi at Soitec. The manufacturer of components used in electronic chips fell 14% on the stock market on Thursday, the day after the announcement of the appointment of a new boss at the end of the general meeting scheduled for next July. It is Pierre Barnabé, from Atos where he currently heads the Big data and cybersecurity division, who is to succeed Paul Boudre, head of Soitec since 2015. Even if his mandate did not expire until the end of nex summer, the departure of the emblematic boss of Soitec, the architect of the recovery of the group, which was close to bankruptcy, is a thunderclap.
This case is also in the process of turning into a real crisis of governance. A showdown has begun between the board of directors, on the move, and the executive committee, which is fiercely opposed to this appointment, which is considered hasty. In a letter addressed to the board of directors, the Comex denounced the “precipitation” and “the opacity” of the appointment process of Pierre Barnabé, reported on Wednesday evening The echoes and The gallery.
” Take over “
He also criticizes “the takeover of Soitec by the Chairman of the Board of Directors for three years, which culminates today with the incomprehensible appointment of a new CEO”.
Also according to this letter, the current leaders regret that the executive committee was not concerted and that internal candidates were not seriously considered.
2026 strategic roadmap
“We set the bar high to identify Paul’s successor and we are very happy that Pierre Barnabé is joining Soitec. Pierre will be able to rely on this trajectory and lead Soitec on new paths of growth, within the framework of the 2026 strategic roadmap”, declared Eric Meurice, chairman of the board of directors, quoted in the press release announcing the succession plan for the general management.
The announcement comes after a rigorous and careful evaluation process led by the board of directors and its appointments and governance committee, which explored all options to organize the succession plan, specified board of directors.