Mobile giant rocked as bosses clash

ORANGE chief executive Sol Trujillo has fallen out with Thierry Breton, chairman at parent company France Telecom, in a row that could lead to the American's early exit from the mobile phones company.

The clash involves claims that Trujillo has billed France Telecom for using his personal jet to commute between Europe and his US home.

Trujillo is said to be unhappy over Orange's lack of independence since it became wholly owned by France Telecom last year. For his part, Breton is believed to be disillusioned over the amount of time Trujillo spends on other interests.

Trujillo is also on the board of a number of big companies, including soft drinks giant PepsiCo and Gannett, owner of the USA Today newspaper.

His surprise appointment last year to run Orange led to the sudden departure of several colleagues, including operating chief Graham Howe and finance director Simon Duffy.

Trujillo also enjoyed a pay-off said to be worth as much as £200m from his previous employer, Colorado-based US West, after it was bought by rival Qwest Communications.

'Sol and Thierry are simply not getting on,' said one source close to the situation.

'Sol obviously didn't need the job, but thought that as head of the most profitable part of France Telecom he would get to call the shots on strategy. He was wrong.'

In public, Breton, who also chairs Orange, is supportive, but close aides say he is known to be worried about the multiple activities of his right-hand man.

One said this week: 'Thierry is getting impatient with Sol. He knows that the American may need time to produce results, but he'd like Sol to spend more of his time on Orange.'

And Trujillo, a non-French speaker, has also shocked colleagues by the use of his personal jet, it was alleged. 'It stays in America,' said one source. 'I personally know of him travelling by corporate jet just once in Europe.'

Another source said that claims about the jet were 'pure and complete mischief-making' by former Orange executives who believed that they had lost out under the new management.

'Just owning a jet is enough to get the gossip going, even though Sol pays all the bills,' he said. 'The fact is, all Thierry cares about is that Orange is performing better each quarter.'