European automotive supplier body, CLEPA, says the process to recruit a new CEO following Jean-Marc Gales’ sudden departure to Lotus, is “on track.”

Gales, who led the high-profile component association in Brussels for two years highlighting key issues such as CO2 emission regulation and transatlantic trade deals, was formerly with a string of OEMs such as Daimler, Volkswagen and Citroen, but has now taken the Lotus post with immediate effect.

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“I did not expect it because [it was] not scheduled, current CLEPA president and French suppliers association, FIEV CEO, Arnaud de David-Beauregard, told just-auto. “We had [a] very good relationship together, but he had an opportunity to go back to the car industry in terms of [an] OEM.

“The [replacement] process is on track. For me business life is business life – any executive may decide to change his job. It is not helping because this was not scheduled, but this can happen.

“He [Gales] made a great job at CLEPA and I had the opportunity to thank him for that.”

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David-Beauregard has been at FIEV for four years and will temporarily take charge of pan-European CLEPA, which has considerable clout in Brussels with the European Commission and legislators.

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“My target is not to stay as CLEPA CEO – the target is to have a new CEO and the process is under way,” said David-Beauregard.

“I can’t tell you right now, but it is a fairly short-term [timescale] target for sure.”
 
Before joining CLEPA, Gales was the president of Automobiles Citroen and Automobiles Peugeot between 2009 and 2012, where he restructured the sales value chain and implemented a new brand strategy for the DS Line, as well as introducing the Citroen DS in major markets around the world.
 
Gales’ other previous appointments include several senior positions in Daimler, General Motors and Volkswagen.

The former CLEPA CEO was not immediately available for comment.