Verizon joins board of Orange to replace Eric CEO

REUTERS Sarah Meyssonnier File Photo

PARIS, Jan 22, Reuters -- Verizon VZ.N Chief Revenue Officer Frank Boulben has written to the board of Orange ORAN.PA withdrawing from the race to head the French telecom firm, Le Figaro reported on Saturday.

Sources told Reuters earlier this month that Boulben was one of three people on a shortlist of possible candidates. The other two are Orange's Chief Financial Officer Ramon Fernandez and Schneider Electric's SCHN.PA head for Europe, Christel Heydemann, who sits on Orange's board. Le Figaro wrote that Heydemann seemed to be on track to succeed Stephane Richard but that a board meeting to decide on the post has been moved from Monday to Jan. 28.

The French state has a 23% stake in Orange and has the final say on who runs the firm.

In November, Orange, France's biggest telecoms operator, said it would find a successor to its Chairman and CEO Stephane Richard by January 31 after a Paris appeal court convicted him of complicity of misuse of public funds.