Former Vodafone and France Télécom executive, Michel Combes, has been hired by the struggling French-American group Alcatel-Lucent, for steering the loss-making telecom equipment maker towards sustained profits.

The Friday announcement of the appointment of 51-year-old Combes - the Frenchman who earlier spearheaded a turnaround for Vodafone's business in Europe - as the Alcatel-Lucent chief comes at a time when the telecom equipment maker is mulling a major downsizing, after years of struggle to bring about a turnaround in its fortunes.

According to the Combes' appointment related announcement made by Alcatel-Lucent, Combes will take over as the company's CEO with effect from April 1. He will assume charge from the current chief Ben Verwaayen, who has not been able to steer the company - which reported a _1.4 billion ($1.9 billion) loss last year - towards profitability in the last five years, even after implementing deep cost cuts.

In his brief address to the Alcatel-Lucent senior executives in Paris on Friday, Combes said that he would formulate a strategy for the company only after conducting a "listening tour" of employees, shareholders and other stakeholders.

Asserting that he would work to return Alcatel-Lucent to sustained profitability, Combes said: "This is a company I know well, and I look forward to succeeding Ben, working with the key international customers and driving the business into sustained profitability for its customers, employees and shareholders."