May 16 (Reuters) -

Alstom's CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge will not seek a

fourth term as head of the French train maker and plans to step

down at the end of his current mandate in 2027, the company said

on Friday.

Alstom, which has struggled to recover from its costly 2021

acquisition of Canadian firm Bombardier's rail

business, declined to comment on the reasons behind the

decision.

Its board of directors has launched a process to find a

new CEO, the company said in a statement. Poupart-Lafarge, who

has led Alstom since 2016, will remain in his role until the

2027 annual general meeting and the appointment of a successor,

it added.

Alstom has named both a new CFO and chairman in the past two

years as it has sought to rebound following the Bombardier

acquisition, a deal that brought in problematic contracts and

contributed to the group's cash strain.

"It is arguably time with the new guard of CFO Bernard

Delpit and Chairman Philippe Petitcolin," Redburn Atlantic

analyst James Moore told Reuters, adding that he expected

Poupart-Lafarge to be replaced by someone from outside the

company.

Alongside its full-year results publication on Wednesday,

the group said it had fully executed its deleveraging plan and

completed the integration of Bombardier's rail business.

Alstom's shares were up nearly 4% in morning trading.