On June 14, 2022, Atos has unveiled its new strategy for 2022-2026. This plan provides a split of the company into two separate entitiesboth listed on the stock exchange.
The group will split into two separate entities
On the one hand we will find the cloud and cybersecurity activities and on the other, the historical businesses in decline with in particular the management of infrastructure parks, digital workspaces and professional services. Less than six months after his arrival, CEO Rodolphe Belmer throws in the towel. He resigned with a golden parachute.
Google pays $118 million compensation for gender discrimination
Yesterday he said that Atos was preparing to “take a new step. This new path that Atos would potentially take would aim to optimize our performance in the two distinct markets in which the group is positioned, which have fundamentally different dynamics. By specializing in two activities, on two different and equally attractive trajectories, each company would focus on what it does best for its customers..
Rodolphe Belmer had given himself the mission of restoring a group in loss of direction whose action has plunged by 80% since the beginning of 2020. He estimates that “the separation of the group makes my position as CEO superfluous”. Two new directors will take over: Philip Oliva for Evidian (the digital and cybersecurity part), and Nourdine Bihman for Tech Foundations (the historical activities of the French group).
Atos bets on public cloud and cybersecurity
This new organization should allow “to avoid infighting”, according to Belmer. The split plan must be finalized by the end of 2023 at the latest. Evidian takes 70% of the capital of Atos and Tech Foundations takes 30% of the capital. The group is convinced that once separated, the two entities could more easily attract buyers, especially Evidian. Large groups such as Thales, Orange (about which rumors have been circulating for a long time) or Airbus have already expressed their interest.
The project is clear: to create two entities fully focused on their respective strategies and markets, with a dedicated management team, and the agility necessary to best serve their customers and deploy their respective transformation plans. The Atos Board of Directors approved the launch of an in-depth study after which the final decision will be made.
Atos is betting big on Evidian. This new entity will be positioned in high-growth markets, driven by “the migration to the public cloud, the growing need for cybersecurity, the generalization of big data and analytics, as well as the development of intelligent applications”.