France Telecom: Smooth operator

No one has ever accused Stephane Richard of being reckless. The new chief executive of France Telecom has always deftly navigated the waters of French business and politics, making powerful friends and cultivating useful networks. He’s taking over a company hit by the global slump, hurt by a stagnant domestic market, and shaken by the political and labour consequences of a string of suicides. Although he has been at France Telecom for more than a year, Richard has said he will wait before he unv...