‘Ousted’ former Renault boss named as new Jaguar Land Rover CEO

29/07/2020

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) chief executive, Thierry Bolloré

Former Renault chief executive Thierry Bolloré has been named as Jaguar Land Rover’s replacement for long-time CEO Professor Ralf Speth.

Bolloré was removed from office by the French brand’s board members with immediate effect back in October last year.

At the time he described his removal, less than a year after he was appointed to the role, as a "strong-arm coup".

Yesterday (July 28) JLR’s parent company, Indian automotive giant Tata Motors, announced Bolloré’s appointment to the role of chief executive, describing him as an “established global business leader with a proven track record of implementing complex transformations”.

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, Tata Motors and Jaguar Land Rover, said: “I am delighted to welcome Thierry to Jaguar Land Rover.

“An established global business leader with a proven track record of implementing complex transformations, Thierry will bring a wealth of experience to one of the most revered positions in the industry.”

Bolloré has previously in senior positions at global automotive supplier Faurecia.

He will now be charged with launching a post-lockdown fightback by JLR, which reported a pre-tax loss of £422m for the year ended March 31 and has announced a series of job cuts and cost-cutting measures in an attempt to stymie its losses.

Speth had already laid out a plan designed to save the OEM £5 billion.

Commenting on his new appointment at JLR, Bolloré said: “Jaguar Land Rover is known around the world for its peerless brand heritage, exquisite design and deep engineering integrity.

“It will be my privilege to lead this fantastic company through what continues to be the most testing time of our generation.

“Renowned for their passion and spirit, the people of Jaguar Land Rover are the driving force behind its success. I couldn’t be more excited to join the team continuing to shape the future of this iconic company.”

Speth will be staying on at JLR in the position of non-executive vice chairman.

The latest AM industry special issue

There has never been such desire for management information, for on-the-spot monitoring, for streamlining and automation, as there is now.

With this in mind, AM asked suppliers of some of the critical technologies dealers can use in their businesses, whether at the front end or in back-of-house functions, to share their latest developments and technologies for the AM Dealer Technology Guide.

Read now