By Inti Landauro
PARIS--French businessman Philippe Varin said Friday he is
likely to take over as chairman of state-controlled nuclear
engineering company Areva SA (AREVA.FR).
Mr. Varin, who was chief executive of car maker Peugeot SA
(UG.FR) until last year, said he will probably take the
chairmanship at Areva as part of the governance change following
the departure of chairman and chief executive Luc Oursel last month
for health reasons.
Mr. Varin was speaking during the shareholders' assembly of
state-controlled utility Electricite de France (EDF.FR) during
which he was elected as a board member.
As chairman of Areva, one of EDF's main suppliers, Mr. Varin
said he will work with Jean-Bernard Levy, who is due to take over
as chairman and chief executive of the utility, to further develop
common projects.
Mr. Varin will work with interim CEO Philippe Knoche to turn
around the company which was heavily hit by the aftermath of the
2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan that pushed utilities around the
world to shelve nuclear reactor projects.
This week, Areva's management said it is working on a new plan
to boost profitability.
Write to Inti Landauro at inti.landauro@wsj.com
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