Change at the helm
The nomination of Vignolles - operating director and vice-president of Centertel since 2001, and long regarded as the driving force behind the company - came as no surprise. Making room for the new head, former president Sławomir Skrodzki handed in his resignation, leaving the company in good shape, with 7.5 million clients and zł.718 million in net gains last year against zł.106 million loss in 2003.
Since 1983 Vignolles has been working for France Telecom, which, through direct investment and its majority stake in Centertel owner TP SA, is the strategic partner of the company. In a brief press statement, Centertel justified the personnel shift by the "multi-stage strategy of the Telekomunikacja Polska Group aimed at one, integrated operator."
The challenges awaiting Vignolles are daunting, as the two telecoms will require different approaches. Over-employed TP SA plans to cut 3,500 jobs to maintain profitability and face growing competition. "The restructuring [of TP SA] must go on amidst falling revenues from land telephone services," says Piotr Banasik analyst from BPH.
Meanwhile, Idea operator Centertel is moving in the opposite direction, hiring some 200 workers this year.
"In part, those will be the ones leaving TP SA," says company spokesperson Jacek Kalinowski. Furthermore, while Idea's client base is growing (by 30.5 percent in 2004), TP SA is losing customers. The change at the helm also raises questions as to when France Telecom will decide to re-brand Idea as Orange, which some market insiders expect will happen in the second half of this year.
Since 1983 Vignolles has been working for France Telecom, which, through direct investment and its majority stake in Centertel owner TP SA, is the strategic partner of the company. In a brief press statement, Centertel justified the personnel shift by the "multi-stage strategy of the Telekomunikacja Polska Group aimed at one, integrated operator."
The challenges awaiting Vignolles are daunting, as the two telecoms will require different approaches. Over-employed TP SA plans to cut 3,500 jobs to maintain profitability and face growing competition. "The restructuring [of TP SA] must go on amidst falling revenues from land telephone services," says Piotr Banasik analyst from BPH.
Meanwhile, Idea operator Centertel is moving in the opposite direction, hiring some 200 workers this year.
"In part, those will be the ones leaving TP SA," says company spokesperson Jacek Kalinowski. Furthermore, while Idea's client base is growing (by 30.5 percent in 2004), TP SA is losing customers. The change at the helm also raises questions as to when France Telecom will decide to re-brand Idea as Orange, which some market insiders expect will happen in the second half of this year.
