Alpine announces immediate change after Luca de Meo's shock departure
After 5 years at the head of Renault Group, Luca de Meo has announced his decision to step down and pursue new challenges outside the automotive sector.
De Meo has more than thirty years of experience in the automotive sector. He began his career at Renault, from 1992 to 1998, in Italy then France, prior to joining Toyota Europe.
In 2002, de Meo joined the Fiat Group, where he was Head of Business Units of the brand Lancia, before he was appointed by Sergio Marchionne as CEO of Fiat Automobiles and later of Alfa Romeo.
De Meo joined the Volkswagen Group in 2009, as Marketing Director of the Volkswagen brand and of the Volkswagen Group, prior to taking up the position of board of management member for sales and marketing at Audi AG.
De Meo was president of SEAT S.A. (including SEAT & Cupra) from November 2015 to January 2020. De Meo spent four years developing Volkswagen's brand, to make it reach a high operating profit in 2017.
In January 2020, it was announced that de Meo would be the CEO of Renault Group effective July 2020. The Italian has now announced his departure from the Renault Group, but he will continue to perform his duties until July 15.
Commenting on de Meo's decision, Jean-Dominique Senard stated: "For five years, Luca de Meo has worked to restore Renault Group to its rightful place. Under his leadership, our company has returned to a healthy foundation, boasts an impressive range of products and has resumed growth.
"Besides being an exceptional captain of industry, Luca de Meo is also a creative, committed, passionate and inspiring individual. Today, the entire company joins me in thanking him for all these years and all the collective challenges successfully met.
"On a personal level, I will always remember the quality of our relations during this unforgettable journey. This also gives me the opportunity to warmly thank the Group's employees who have worked alongside us for the recovery of this emblematic company that we are all so proud of.”
Reflecting on his decision, de Meo said: "There comes a time in one’s life when one knows the job is done. At Renault Group, we have faced immense challenges in less than five years! We have achieved what many thought impossible. Today, the results speak for themselves: they are the best in our history.
"We have a strong team and an agile organization. We also have a strategic plan ready for the next generation of products. That is why I have decided it is time for me to hand over the baton. I am leaving a transformed company, poised for the future, to apply my experience to other sectors and embark on new adventures.
"Leading Renault Group has been a privilege. It has been a human and industrial adventure that only happens once in a lifetime. For this, I will always be grateful to the women and men of this company - the ‘Renaulutionnaires’ - for their passion, their commitment and their conviction.
"They are the true driving engines. Moreover, I would like to thank Jean-Dominique Senard for choosing me several years ago, for his support and trust, as well as the Board of Directors, for believing in our projects. And the best is yet to come."
