PARIS (AP) — Alcatel-Lucent CEO Ben Verwaayen is leaving the loss-making French-U.S. telecommunications gear maker after a failed four-year bid to turn the business around.

Verwaayen said in a statement Thursday that it was “clear to me that now is an appropriate moment” for Alcatel-Lucent to seek new leadership. Investors cheered the news, with shares jumping 7.7 percent in early trading to €1.40.