Just over two months after the arrest of car manager Carlos Ghosn in Japan, Renault’s board of directors meets today to discuss the leadership of the group. According to French Finance and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, the top panel in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris will then make the „necessary decisions“.
In Paris, it is expected that Ghosns duties as CEO will be split between his previous deputy Thierry Bollore and Michelin CEO Jean-Dominique Senard. Renault has not officially commented on this scenario. Le Maire said in an interview that Senard would be „an outstanding president of Renault“. The state owns 15 percent of Renault’s shares and is therefore a major player in the manufacturer.
The 64-year-old Ghosn, who had once saved Nissan from bankruptcy and forged a powerful car alliance with Renault and Mitsubishi, was arrested in Tokyo in November for violating Japanese stock market regulations and later charged. In addition, he is said to have transferred private investment losses to Nissan, according to prosecutors. The Renault partners Nissan and Mitsubishi then dismissed Ghosn as Chairman of the Board. It could take months to complete a process. In court, the top manager had asserted his innocence.
