Dutch newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad reports that the headhunter hired to find a replacement for KPN CEO Ad Scheepbouwer has recommended Niek Jan ten Damme and Duco Sickinghe. They are the heads of respectively the consumer division of Deutsche Telekom in Germany and Belgian cable operator Telenet. Scheepbouwer is reportedly in favour of an internal candidate, which could mean Eelco Blok (head of Mobile International) or Baptiest Coopmans (head of the Dutch activities). Blok's advantages include his high standing in the company and a strong focus on infrastructure, while Coopmans has previous international experience working at Unilever. KPN's supervisory board is expected to take a decision soon.
At the same, the supervisory board is supposedly looking for a change in culture at KPN, with an improvement in management relations and a move away from the all-encompassing focus on financial results. The focus should shift to growth and exploring new markets.
What to make of this story? No sources are mentioned, so caution is advised. Telenet has also denied that its CEO is in talks with KPN. That the headhunter has settled on Ten Damme and Sickinghe seems a bit short-sighted. Both are Dutch and have worked in neighbouring countries, but it's highly questionable whether that is enough. If it was so easy, then one could also say Ben Verwaayen (CEO Alcatel-Lucent) is a candidate. Both men would find the move to KPN difficult to swallow. Ten Damme comes from T-Mobile Netherlands and has always competed against KPN. He also has an excellent job at Deutsche Telekom with a much larger responsibility than he would have at KPN. Sickinghe is preaching the word of coax at Telenet, a sister company of UPC, and at KPN would have to change his tune to FTTH.
But if a culture shift is so important, then the recommendations of Ad Scheepbouwer may face criticism. Scheepbouwer, Blok and Coopmans are the embodiment of the current culture.
In short, the supervisory board will have a tough time with this shortlist of four men. Eelco Blok probably has the best chance. Internal standing, knowledge of the business and his current position responsible for the expansion into Spain and France seem to make him the best candidate.
