The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Aston Martin on Tuesday (2 September) announced, respectively, the resignation of Andy Palmer, who has “accepted a position with another company”, and his appointment as chief executive officer.
Palmer, 51, will join Aston Martin from Nissan Motor where he most recently was chief planning officer. He will assume operational responsibility for all aspects of Aston Martin’s business, the bespoke sportscar maker said in a statement.
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Known as ‘Andy’, Palmer is a British-born chartered engineer, chartered manager and businessman with 35 years of automotive industry experience. At Nissan he was also an executive vice president and member of the executive committee reporting directly to the president and CEO and his responsibilities included corporate and product planning, programme management, electric vehicles, global marketing communications, global sales and IS/IT. He was also chairman of Infiniti.
Palmer’s duties at Aston Martin will commence after he “completes a transition period from his current employer”, the statement said.
Palmer started his auto industry career in 1979 aged 16, as an apprentice at Automotive Products [a UK components maker since absorbed mostly into Delphi in 2000 – ed] that was based in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, not far from Aston Martin’s HQ in Gaydon.
In 1986 he joined Austin Rover to eventually become transmissions chief engineer of Rover Group. He joined Nissan in 1991, the year before the automaker’s English plant began production and his career with that automaker took him to Japan for the last 13 years.
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By GlobalDataIn 2012, Palmer was named the automotive industry’s most influential British executive by Auto Express magazine, and in 2013, the world’s third most influential chief marketing officer (after Apple and Samsung CMOs) by the CMO Influence Study, conducted by marketing firm Appinions for Forbes magazine. In addition, among Interbrand’s Best Global Green Brands 2013, Nissan claimed the fifth position with Palmer being credited with “elevating marketing to a science”. Palmer was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to the British automotive industry.
A statement from the Aston Martin board said: “We’re delighted that Andy will join us as our new CEO at this important time at Aston Martin. Andy’s wealth of experience on the global automotive stage in marketing and sales, engineering and technology, and luxury and brand management will be instrumental in taking A-M forward through its most significant and ambitious period of investment to date.”
Meanwhile, the Alliance named Philippe Klein its new chief planning officer for both Nissan and Renault from 15 September and reassigned other senior executives.
Klein, who will report to Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Nissan, and join the Nissan executive committee, will have global responsibility for product planning, programme management, EV sales and the battery business unit, marketing, sales, market intelligence, and vehicle information technology; he will be based in Yokohama.
Klein moves to Nissan from Renault where he most recently served as an executive vice president and a member of the executive committee and as the head of product planning, programmes.
Bruno Ancelin will replace Kliein as EVP of product planning and programmes for the Renault group. He will join the executive committee and report to Thierry Bolloré, chief competitive officer.
Also, from 1 October, Jean-Christophe Kugler has been appointed senior vice president, chairman of the Eurasia Region, taking over from Ancelin.
The Eurasia Region has been expanded to include Turkey, Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria. Kugler will continue to report to Jérôme Stoll, chief performance officer and head of sales and marketing for the group.
Bernard Cambier has been named senior vice president, chairman of the Africa-Middle East-India Region (AMI). This newly created region includes countries in the Middle East, India and Africa.
Ancelin, chief engineer of the Corps des Mines, joined Renault’s research department in 1982. Since October 2010, he has headed the Eurasia Region and was also managing director of Renault Russia (Avtoframos). In February 2012, he was appointed to the AVTOVAZ board.
Cambier joined Renault in 1979 and has held a number of different positions at Renault DIAC. He became SVP, market area France in 2009.
Klein joined Renault’s engine development department in 1981. Since April 2014 he was EVP, product planning and programmes for the Renault group.
Kugler joined the process engineering R&D centre at Renault in 1984 and most recently headed the Euromed region management committee.
