Business | France’s almighty bosses

In praise of the splits

Pressure to separate the roles of chairman and chief executive is growing

Kocher and Mestrallet: a double act from now on
|PARIS

LETTING go is hard, especially for a French boss. Consider Gérard Mestrallet, who for 15 years has run Engie, a giant energy utility formerly known as GDF Suez. Under him the firm has prospered: it gathers annual revenues of around €75 billion ($84 billion) from 70 countries. At 66 the wily baron no doubt believes he has the vim to keep building his empire.

This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “In praise of the splits”

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