SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, France — Alstom CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge will step down at the end of his current term in 2027, the company’s board of directors announced today (May 16, 2025).
The announcement came two days after the global rail equipment manufacturer announced what it termed “solid” results for the fiscal year ending in March 2025.
The board has launched a search for a successor “in order to ensure a smooth transition,” the company said in a press release. Lafarge will remain CEO until his successor is appointed.
Poupart-Lafarge became CEO in February 2024 and was chairman of the company’s board until June 2024. He joined Alstom in 1998 as head of investor relations, later serving as vice president finance, chief financial officer, president of Alstom’s grid sector and president of the transport sector. He began his career at the World Bank in Washingtion in 1992 and joined France’s Ministry of Economy and Finance in 1994.
The board said it is “pleased with the very good annual results” announced this week. Alstom said on Wednesday that it had booked €19.8 billion ($22.1 billion) in orders during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, pushing its order backlog to €95 billion ($106.05 billion). The company reported earnings before interest and taxes of €1.17 billion ($1.31 billion), an increase of 18% over the previous year, and adjusted net profit of €498 million ($555.9 million).
“Over the last decade, we have established an unmatched global footprint, building resilience to weather macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges,” Poupart-Lafarge said in a press release announcing the financial results. “With a strengthened balance sheet and the successful completion of Bombardier Transportation integration, Alstom is embarking on a new phase. We will leverage our market-leading position to accelerate Services and enhance the digitalisation of our solutions, driving forward our commitment to innovation and excellence.”
Included in the company’s results for the fiscal year were some €3.4 billion ($3.8 billion) in orders in the Americas, up from €2 billion ($2.2 billion) the previous year. Those orders included a Ca$500 million ($347 million U.S.) contract to overhaul 181 bilevel railcars for Toronto’s GO Transit [see “Alstom to overhaul …,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 17, 2025] and a seven-year extension to its contract to operate the JFK AirTrain in New York, a deal valued at approximately $518 million [see “Alstom signs seven-year contract …,” News Wire, April 1, 2025].
