The French government yesterday called for trading in the shares of majority state-owned Thomson SA and its Thomson-CSF SA affiliate and announced that they would be privatized by the end of the year. It also appointed Marcel Roulet to head the Thomson holding company, following the unexpected resignation of chairman, Alain Gomez, who has been at the helm since 1982. Thomson SA is owned 76% by the state and 20% by France Telecom. It owns all of Thomson Multimedia, a consumer electronics manufacturer that includes the RCA Corp business in the US and the former Thorn EMI Plc business in the UK. It also owns 58% of Thomson-CSF, defence and civil electronics manufacturer. Roulet’s mission is to study various options for the state’s stake in Thomson SA and to submit proposals as soon as possible. He is a former chairman of France Telecom.
