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Proton Holdings Berhad (“Proton”) today
announced the appointment of Jean-Marc Gales as
the new Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus
plc, effective 1 May 2014. Lotus is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Proton and a member of the
DRB-HICOM Group.
Gales, a Luxembourgian, holds a MSc in
Management from London's Imperial College, and a
MSc in Mechanical Engineering from the
University of Karlsruhe in Germany.
A known industry player, Gales has held several
significant positions with numerous global
automotive manufacturers. Prior to his new
appointment at Lotus, Gales was Chief Executive
Officer of the European Association of
Automotive Suppliers (“CLEPA”) since 2012, where
he played a key role in turning around the
association through various strategic
initiatives, including streamlining the working
processes and increasing corporate members from
82 to 112. Gales also established a lobbying
strategy with the European Parliament and
European Commission, and helped define the
Industry Research & Innovation Strategy and
Roadmap for 2025.
Before joining CLEPA, Gales was the President of
Automobiles Citroen and Automobiles Peugeot
between 2009 and 2012, where he restructured the
entire sales value chain and implemented a new
brand strategy for the DS Line and introduced
the Citroen DS in major markets around the world.
During his tenure there, the Company delivered
record retail sales in 2009 and 2010.
Gales' other previous appointments include
several senior positions in Daimler AG, General
Motors and Volkswagen AG.
Aslam Farikullah, current Chief Operating
Officer of Group Lotus plc, remains as Member of
the Board of Lotus Cars Limited and will
continue to contribute to the growth of the
business in the future.
Jean-Marc Gales and Aslam Farikullah
PROTON Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Abdul
Harith Abdullah is pleased to welcome Gales to
the Group. "This is an exciting time for Lotus,
and Jean-Marc's appointment could not have come
at a more appropriate time, especially taking
into account our plans for Lotus. We believe
that with his strong technical and managerial
expertise and leadership, Jean-Marc will be able
to drive the Lotus transformation plan and
further enhance Lotus' business and capabilities.”
Jean-Marc Gales is married and has one daughter.
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