Turn-Around Specialist Named CFO at Sprint

Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure named a new chief financial officer, Michel Combes, effective Jan. 6. He replaces Tarek Robbiati, exiting at month's end. “Combes will support Claure and the senior leadership team as the company enters a new phase of transformation to deliver profitable growth,” said a Thursday news release. “He will be responsible for leading the company’s financial operations, strategy and continued cost transformation.” Combes was previously at Vodafone Europe, French tower company TDF, France Telecom, Alcatel-Lucent, SFR Group and Altice, Well Fargo’s Jennifer Fritzsche said. He resigned from Altice last year (see 1711140042). Combes is seen as a “turn-around” specialist, the analyst wrote. “Robbiati did a very impressive job as to what he was tasked to do -- lower the company's cost of capital,” Fritzsche said. “However, at this point in Sprint's evolution we believe Combes' turnaround expertise will be well served.”