Renault confirms former Seat boss as its new CEO
Luca de Meo, the former head of Seat, has been appointed as the new CEO of Renault.
Luca De Meo will take up the role Renault CEO on July 1, 2020, replacing interim boss Clotilde Delbos in the process.
Renault's interim CEO Clotilde Delbos will remain in her current role until de Meo can join the company. When he starts on July 1, she will become deputy CEO in addition to her regular job as chief financial officer (CFO).
"Luca de Meo is a great strategist and visionary of a rapidly changing automotive world. His expertise but also his passion for cars make him a real asset for the Group," Jean-Dominique Senard, Renault's chairman, said of today's appointment.
Makoto Uchida, Nissan's CEO issued a statement to the media: "We are all looking forward to working closely with him and our Alliance partners in our efforts to support mutually profitable growth".
Above: Thierry Bollore (left), former Renault CEO, and Hiroto Saikawa (right), former Nissan CEO, both had short tenures after the arrest of Carlos Ghosn.
When de Meo takes charge he will have a lot on his plate. In addition to the wholly-owned Renault, Dacia, and Alpine brands, the company also has a controlling stake in Lada, as well as a 44 per cent share of Nissan.
Its relationship with Nissan, through the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, is said to be rocky. The alliance was forged and largely controlled by former CEO Carlos Ghosn, who was arrested in 2018 on charges of financial misconduct, and is now on the run from Japanese authorities in Lebanon.
In a press conference after his escape from Japan, Ghosn confirmed Japanese executives were unhappy about his plans to effectively merge Renault and Nissan. He also said he was working on a merger between Renault and Fiat Chrysler (FCA).
The proposed merger with FCA fell apart due to the French government's insistence that Nissan approve the union. Late last year FCA formally agreed to merge with rival French automaker, the PSA Group, which runs Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and Vauxhall.
De Meo will have work past the two automakers' fraught recent history and potentially restart joint development projects which were reportedly frozen during past few years of corporate intrigue.
Above: Seat Ateca.
Earlier this month the Volkswagen Group confirmed de Meo was stepping down from his role as head of the Seat.
Since becoming brand chief, he has credited with repositioning it as a sportier alternative to Volkswagen and Skoda, as well as launching Cupra as a standalone performance marque, and increasing sales by expanding its crossover offerings.
Luca de Meo's automotive career began at Renault in 1992. In the late nineties he led product planning for the Toyota Yaris and Lexus lines in Europe before becoming CEO of the Fiat brand in the mid-2000s.
He joined Volkswagen in 2009 to become the brand's chief marketing officer. In 2012 he stepped into a similar role at sister marque Audi.
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