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Why is Engie CEO Jean-Pierre Clamadieu in a hurry to sell off Suez?

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In the battle to ward off a hostile takeover from long-term rival Veolia, Suez is raising the stakes. The French waste and water management company announced that its strategy to improve the firm’s financial performance was paying off sooner than expected. As a consequence, Suez shareholders can look forward to €1.2 billion in exceptional dividends by early 2021.

The strategy was implemented last year, but the timing of the announcement is hardly a coincidence, coming mere days after Engie – which holds a 30% stake in Suez – rejected Veolia’s offer to buy out the stake at €15.50 per share, or a total of €2.9bn on 17 September. Engie’s CEO Jean-Pierre Clamadieu made it abundantly clear that Veolia’s bid was too low and called on the utilities provider to raise its offer, insisting that the “value of Suez is higher than the basis of these discussions”.

The rejection itself may not be the biggest news, however. More interesting is what can be read between the lines, specifically Clamadieu’s evident urgency that Veolia offer a new bid as soon as possible while calling on Suez to respond with a counter-offer – fast. The Engie CEO repeatedly stressed that any alternative bid would be considered carefully, assuming it could be “implemented rapidly”, and even offered an extension to Veolia for a new offer if need be.

If Engie’s signalling to both bidders that the clock is ticking was unequivocal, then that’s only because time is running out for Clamadieu as well. By rejecting Veolia’s bid and calling on Suez, it’s become evident that the Engie leadership is hoping to force a deal rather sooner than later. Indeed, after years of loss-making and continually falling operating profits, the COVID-19 pandemic left the company cash-strapped and is most likely the main driver behind Clamadieu’s decision to divest from some of Engie’s subsidiaries to reap the benefit of short-term financial windfalls.

Herein lies the rub – to get Engie’s finances back in order, Clamadieu seems willing to make a risky bet that’s resting on the assumption that a quick bidding war is the best way to maximize returns. But maximizing returns takes time as both contenders need to be given ample opportunity to escalate their bids. The emphasis on urgency is putting the pressure on Suez to react within a short period of time – Veolia’s offer expires 30 September – leaving the firm mere days to raise funds for a credible counter-offer. With the clock ticking fast, Clamadieu’s gamble may well backfire and force him to sign off on a deal that remains behind Engie’s expectations – but one that would most definitely make Veolia happy.

As such, the gambit raises broader questions about Jean-Pierre Clamadieu’s strategy, as well as his leadership. It’s important to note that Clamadieu was hailed as a fine and discreet business strategist when he became Engie CEO this February following a boardroom coup that saw the luckless former CEO Isabelle Kocher getting the sack. But in revealing the risky short-terminism in his thinking, Clamadieu isn’t doing himself any favours, particularly where his other leading business positions are concerned.

Take his role in French insurance company Axa, where he has held the Senior Independent Director position since April 2019. The insurance giant is facing down its own share of Covid-induced troubles after a Paris court ruled that the firm must cover a restaurant owner’s coronavirus-related revenue losses. The ruling set a ground-breaking precedent for businesses in the gastronomy sector, with the insurer now in talks with more than 600 establishments over financial settlements.

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With Axa potentially in for millions of extra payments, a long-term strategy to keep the company profitable is required. In his role as Independent Director and member of the Compensation and Governance Committee, Clamadieu is holding significant responsibility in determining the company’s direction, but considering the gamble with Suez, Axa’s leadership would be justified in asking questions about his suitability to serve in a leading role in insurance – an industry that by definition deals in long-term assessments.

These trying times call for a steady hand and a thorough long-term strategy. Whether Clamadieu’s gamble will pay off remains to be seen, but if history is a lesson to be learned, the desire for short-term windfalls always loses out to long-term thinking.

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