Atos appoints CEO

French IT-services firm Atos Origin unexpectedly appointed former French Finance Minister Thierry Breton to replace chief executive Philippe Germond, in the company's second major shake-up in six months, reports Market Watch.

The company said in a statement that Germond was leaving and that the board had unanimously voted to appoint Breton in his place, to accelerate the restructuring of the company and help it refocus its business and regain market share.

"Thierry Breton brings outstanding entrepreneurial, international and industry experience from leading large companies in the IT sector, in new technologies and telecommunications. He will rely on solid existing foundations to further grow and strengthen the group," said Jean-Philippe Thierry, chairman of the supervisory board.

PanTerra Networks, a provider of on-demand unified communications services for small and mid-sized businesses, has appointed David Eads as VP of sales, reports Market Watch.

Eads will report directly to the CEO, Arthur Chang. With more than a decade of experience in sales leadership roles, Eads will lead PanTerra Networks' worldwide sales efforts and contribute to the company's overall growth in the unified communications market.

Eads came to PanTerra Networks from Fonality. As VP of sales for Fonality, he recruited and managed a national sales team from day one, when the company was founded.

Jane Tudor has joined Triumfant, a provider of proactive monitoring and control software, as VP of customer service and support, according to PR Newswire.

With more than 20 years' experience in customer service, customer support, consulting and business development, she will be tasked with ensuring customers are ultimately successful in using Triumfant's products and services.

Prior to joining Triumfant, Tudor served as the director of eastern region technical services at Number Six Software, and director of consulting services at Secure Software.