Renault Chooses Volkswagen Executive as New C.E.O.

An affable Italian who has spent most of his career in marketing, Mr. de Meo is likely to be less imperious and more diplomatic than Carlos Ghosn, who was chief executive of Renault before his arrest in Japan in November 2018 on charges of financial impropriety. Mr. Ghosn, who has denied the allegations, fled Japan on Dec. 29 and appeared before reporters in Lebanon on Jan. 8.

Mr. de Meo takes over after a tumultuous year at Renault that included an attempt to merge with Fiat Chrysler. The deal fell apart at the last minute. Fiat Chrysler has since agreed to merge with PSA, the maker of Peugeot and Citroën cars.

Mr. de Meo replaces Thierry Bolloré, who succeeded Mr. Ghosn but was pushed out in October by Jean-Dominique Senard, the Renault chairman. Mr. Bolloré had clashed with top executives at Nissan.

One of his main tasks will be to help repair fissures in Renault’s alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi, which were exposed by Mr. Ghosn’s downfall.

The Japanese have chafed at French dominance of the partnership. Nissan sells more cars and, unlike Renault, has a strong presence in the United States. But Renault is Nissan’s largest shareholder, with a stake of more than 40 percent, giving it the upper hand.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/business/renault-ceo-luca-de-meo.html?emc=rss&partner=rss