评论
打印
Business
商业报道
Veolia's boardroom battle
威立雅集团的董事会斗争
Plumbing the depths
政界涉商之深
What a row over a water company says about French capitalism.
从一家水务公司总经理的连续更替来看法国的资本主义。
EVEN by the standards of French business, from which politics is rarely absent, it was an outrageous plan.
即便是按照法国商业的惯例，即鲜有政不涉商的标准来看，威立雅集团的打算也是极其过分的。
This week news emerged of a plot to oust Antoine Frerot, chief executive of Veolia, a private water and waste group, and replace him with Jean-Louis Borloo, a politician and former energy minister.
本周，风言威立雅水务集团密谋用前能源部长，政客让路易·博洛取代现任总经理安东尼 弗雷罗的消息四起。
Civil servants regularly take the top job at blue-chip French firms.
在法国，公务人员担任蓝筹股公司高管也算常事。
But Mr Borloo, who has no experience running a business, seemed singularly unqualified to run an unprofitable company which needs deep restructuring.
但是由丝毫没有商业经验的博洛似乎绝不可以胜任掌管一家需要深度重组的亏损公司。
Mr Borloo is a friend of Henri Proglio, who was Veolia's chief executive from 2003 until 2009.
博洛是亨利 布格洛的好友，后者2003至09年曾任威立雅集团的总经理一职。
Mr Proglio then handed the job to Mr Frerot, his chosen successor, and became chief executive of Electricite de France, a utility.
之后接替布格洛的是其亲自挑选的继任人弗雷罗，而布格洛到公用事业公司法国电力担任总经理。
For a year after becoming boss of EDF, Mr Proglio stayed on as Veolia's chairman, collecting two big pay packages.
在布格洛掌管法国电力一年之后，他仍保有威立雅集团的董事长头衔，同时拿着两大公司的薪酬。
After a corporate-governance storm, he stepped down as chairman of Veolia in 2010 but kept a seat on its board.
在企业治理风暴之后布格洛才辞掉威立雅集团董事长一职但仍拥有董事席位。
The origin of this week's row is Mr Frerot's plan to restructure Veolia, one of France's largest private-sector employers.
本周传言的起因是，威立雅集团，这家法国头号私营公司的主管弗雷罗计划对公司进行重组而引发的。
The firm's shares have fallen by 60% in the past 12 months, as it has struggled with tumbling profits and high debt.
威立雅集团由于利益下滑和重债缠身，去年一年股价下跌了60%。
Instead of following the path set out by his former boss, Mr Frerot announced last December that he would take an axe to Mr Proglio's empire,
弗雷罗去年十二月宣称将放弃前任的既定方案，
which spanned 77 countries and 250 varieties of business, and turn Veolia into something resembling a modern, focused company.
对这家涉及77个国家，250种商业活动的公司进行大刀阔斧的改革，使之成为一家现代化的、有主要项目的公司。
He announced a sale of assets worth 5 billion and a retreat to 40 markets, as well as an overhaul of the company's culture.
弗雷罗还宣布将出售价值50亿欧元的资产，退出40个市场，并重建企业文化。
It was entirely clear that something radical needed to be done to focus the business, says Per Lekander, an analyst with UBS, an investment bank, in Paris.
非常明显，发展重点项目肯定需要做一些出格的事情，位于巴黎的投行瑞银集团的分析师佩尔·莱坎德如是所说。
But Mr Frerot's rebellion has infuriated Mr Proglio, who has reportedly been briefing fellow board members of Veolia that they need to replace him.
不过弗雷罗的离经叛道激怒了布格洛，据报道布格洛已与董事会的其他成员碰头商讨要替换弗雷罗。
Mr Borloo has denied that he wants to become Veolia's chief executive, but has admitted meeting board members.
布格洛否认他想担任总经理一职，但承认了与董事们会面。
Nicolas Sarkozy, France's president, was obliged to deny any involvement in the plan to replace Mr Frerot.
法国总统萨科奇被迫否认参与了密谋替换弗雷罗一事。
Francois Hollande, the Socialist candidate in the presidential election this spring, denounced the plot.
参加今年春季总统大选的社会党候选人弗朗索瓦·奥朗德谴责了这个阴谋。
Mr Frerot should keep his job, at least for now; Mr Sarkozy cannot risk more controversy so soon before the election.
他认为至少当前应该让弗雷罗继续工作。大选临近，萨科奇也不敢再惹争议。
Nonetheless, the affair should worry shareholders in big French companies.
事尽如此，此事还是让持有法国大公司股票的股东们人心惶惶。
The practice of parachuting political figures to the top of important firms is thriving, despite hopes that it was on the way out.
尽管只是希望有条出路，但往大公司的高管职位上空降政治人物的活动还是很流行的。
Most recently, Alexandre de Juniac, a chief of staff to Christine Lagarde when she was finance minister, took charge at Air France in spite of having no operating experience of the airline business.
最近，曾在拉杰德任财长时担任其幕僚长的亚历山大·德 朱尼亚克，在毫无航空业管理经验的情况下掌管起了法航。
France Inc continues to be influenced by a small network of politically connected power brokers. Mr Proglio's continuing sway over Veolia is merely an extreme example.
法国公司继续被一小撮有着政治纽带的权力经纪人所影响着。而布格洛对威立雅集团持续不断的影响仅仅只是个特例。
