Veolia's COO Leaves in Reshuffle

Veolia Environnement's chief operating officer has left, it was announced on Friday, in a further management reshuffle of the French waste, water, energy and transport group following a failed board coup.

Denis Gasquet is leaving with immediate effect, the company said in a statement.

Also departing are secretary general Olivier Orsini and Jean-Pierre Fremont, senior executive vice-president of public entities and European affairs.

The restructuring plan put in place by Chief Executive Antoine Frerot aims to reel in much of an expansion undertaken by the company's founder and former chief executive Henri Proglio. Proglio responded by leading a so-far unsuccessful effort to orchestrate a boardroom coup against Frerot.

In another appointment announced on Friday, Veolia's Sylvain Boucher has joined the company's executive committee of seven people.