Renault recruits consumer goods veteran as global marketing chief

PARIS -- Renault Group has appointed Francois Renard as its global marketing director, replacing Thierry Koskas, who will become president of Renault Sport Racing.

Renard will report to Thierry Bollore, Renault's chief operating officer, and will have a seat on Renault's management committee. In addition to sales and marketing functions, he will be asked to accelerate the digital transition of operations, Renault said in a statement.

Renard began his professional career in 1992 at Anderson Consulting. He then worked at British-Dutch transnational consumer goods company Unilever, rising to become global marketing vice president for hair products. Renard then held positions in China, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2015, he was appointed CEO of Kate Somerville, a skin care products company in Los Angeles. He returned to Unilever in 2017 as vice president of marketing, personal care.

Koskas will replace Jerome Stoll as head of Renault racing, including leading Renault's efforts in Formula 1. Koskas worked as a civil servant in the French agriculture and industry ministries before joining Renault in 1997. He held sales and management positions for Renault in Britain and Hungary before being named a vice president of sales and marketing in 2006. He led Renault's sales efforts in Asia and Africa, and in 2009 became head of Renault's electric vehicle program.

Under CEO Carlos Ghosn's Drive the Future plan, Renault aims to increase global sales to 5 million vehicles by 2022, with growth centered on regions outside of Europe. Group sales rose 8.5 percent in 2017, to 3.76 million vehicles.