There is no peace for the top management of Renault. This time it's finished in the eye of the storm Thierry Bolloré. No judicial trouble for him, but a full-blown torpedo.
A few days after the changing of the guard at Nissan - which announced the arrival of Makoto Uchida in the role of CEO - the French automaker's board of directors has removed its current CEO from his functions "with immediate effect". Thierry Bolloré. His place will be taken ad interim by Clotide Delbos, current CFO of Renault. The news had been in the air for days and was commented on by the person concerned as a "sensational and disturbing coup d'état".
Bolloré had arrived at the helm of the company last January, taking over from Carlos Ghosn, the manager arrested for failing to declare several hundred million yen (millions of euros) received as company salary and for using company assets for personal purposes.
According to French newspapers to push for the divorce would have been the president Jean-Dominique Senard, who has long had a complicated relationship with Bolloré, backed by the French government, which owns 15 percent of Renault and controls two seats on the company's board. At the basis of the decision there would also be the difficulties in the alliance with Nissan, which in turn owns 15% of the French company (without voting rights), and of which Renault holds 43,4%.
The turnaround established by the board of directors was welcomed by the Stock Exchange. In Paris, iIndeed, the Renault stock gains 4,3%, rising from 51,20 to 52,98 euros.
Supporting Delbos in the role of interim CEO will be Olivier Murguet and Jose Vincente de los Mozos, who have been appointed Deputy Chief Operating Officers. Senard will instead assume the presidency of the 'core' Renault brand during the transition period.
