LONDON (Reuters) -News of Renault Chief Executive Luca de Meo’s decision to leave the French carmaker and subsequent reports of him being lined up to take charge at luxury goods group Kering has created a stir across their respective sectors.
Here’s some initial reaction from analysts.
KEPLER CHEUVREUX
“Hiring someone from outside the luxury sector might be seen as risky, but his profile appears well suited to lead Kering. We would view positively the appointment of an outsider, and Luca de Meo could be the right profile to drive the turnaround.
“His turnaround capabilities, product-focused leadership, and extensive marketing experience would be particularly valuable.
“We see Denis Le Vot (head of Dacia) and other internal candidates as potential successors, as well as Maxime Picat, a French executive from Stellantis.”
JP MORGAN
“Investors were this year focused on the announcement of Renault’s mid-term plan. With the CEO stepping down, this will naturally provide a setback.
“In terms of potential candidates for the CEO position, we see Renault has a strong bench across its different brand managers including Dacia, but also would envision potential external candidates.”
BERNSTEIN
“Brand management and marketing are his forte, which dovetails with what the luxury industry does – for which he seems passionate.
“Time will tell if he manages to hit the ground running and be effective in a different industry. De Meo acted decisively at Renault, reducing capacity and break-even points.
“De Meo has a titanic challenge ahead of him. Critically, investors will need to hear what it is that De Meo plans to do and digest how soon his plans can be realised.”
CITI
“Execution of luxury brand turnarounds has become more complex, lengthy, costly and far less public market-friendly, reflecting consumer preference for top brands rather than those in transition.
“We believe it’s premature to adopt a more positive stance given the lack of visibility on Gucci’s turnaround.”
JEFFERIES
“His departure leaves Renault leaderless at a time when the group is due to communicate a new strategic plan and further unwind the Nissan alliance.
“His departure may hurt early lobbying (joint with Stellantis) to revive an affordable small car segment in Europe. It will add to concerns about Renault’s ability to be independent, the growing influence of Geely as minority investor (engines, Korea, Brazil) and renewed interference from the French state, now the largest core shareholder at 15%.
“Recent changes at Stellantis may provide a pool of applicants.”
(Reporting by Reuters reportersCompiled by Josephine MasonEditing by David Goodman)
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