PARIS -- Renault Group has named Francois Provost as chief purchasing officer and managing director of the Alliance Purchasing Organization, responsibilities he adds to his current post as head of group partnerships and public affairs.
He replaces Gianluca De Ficchy, who becomes head of the company's Mobilize mobility services division.
Provost starts in his purchasing position on Feb. 1 and will report to Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo.
As head of partnerships, he piloted the transformation plan presented at the November 2022 capital markets day, Renault said.
A graduate of Ecole Polytechnique and the School of Mines in Paris, Provost started his career in the French economic ministry, and then became a senior adviser to the minister of defense.
He joined Renault in 2002 in the sales and marketing division. He was named chief operating officer of Renault Russia in 2010, and became CEO of Renault-Samsung Motors in South Korea a year later.
Provost was appointed senior vice president of Renault's China operations in 2016 and chairman of the Asia-Pacific region in 2017.
Kerrigan Advisors’ proprietary annual OEM Survey of over 100 executives reveals that the majority of respondents are worried about the financial impact of Chinese automakers’ growing global market share, and most expect that the EV transition to be slower than expected. The survey also queried executives on their outlooks for dealership valuations and profitability, as well as their expectations for the future of dealer networks and facility requirements.
He became senior vice president, international development and partnerships in October 2020; and head of public affairs in 2021.
