New CEO appointed for Group Lotus
Proton Holdings Bhd has announced the appointment of Jean-Marc Gales as Chief Executive Officer of its wholly-owned subsidiary Group Lotus plc effective 1 May 2014. Gales appointment comes at time just after Proton itself appointed its own new CEO in Dato’ Abdul Harith Abdullah.
Commenting on Gales’ appointment as Group Lotus CEO, Harith said, “This is an exciting time for Lotus, and Jean-Marc’s appointment could not have come at a more appropriate time, especially taking into account our plans for Lotus. We believe that with his strong technical and managerial expertise and leadership, Jean-Marc will be able to drive the Lotus transformation plan and further enhance Lotus’ business and capabilities.”
Hailing from Luxembourg, Gales holds two Masters degrees, one in Management from London’s Imperial College and another in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Karlsruhe in Germany.
His working experience, meanwhile, included stints in Daimler AG, General Motors, Volkswagen AG, and the PSA Group where served as President between 2009 and 2012. His stint in charge of the PSA Group saw him restructured the entire sales value chain and implemented a new brand strategy for the DS Line and introduced the Citroen DS in major markets around the world. His efforts yielded record sales for the Group in 2009 and 2010.
After leaving the PSA Group, Gales served as CEO of the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA) where he played a key role in turning around the association through various strategic initiatives, including streamlining the working processes and increasing corporate members from 82 to 112. Gales also established a lobbying strategy with the European Parliament and European Commission, and helped define the Industry Research & Innovation Strategy and Roadmap for 2025.
With Gales’ appointment, Aslam Farikullah, current Chief Operating Officer of Group Lotus plc, remains as Member of the Board of Lotus Cars Limited and will continue to contribute to the growth of the business in the future.
Picture: Official Lotus release.
