Thierry Bolloré
Thierry Bolloré | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 30, 1963 Quimper, Brittany, France |
| Occupation | Automotive executive |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Known for | CEO of Renault (2018–2019), CEO of Jaguar Land Rover (2020–2022) |
Thierry Yves Henri Bolloré (born 30 May 1963) is a French executive who previously served as CEO of Jaguar Land Rover. His professional journey began at Michelin, followed by a transition to Faurecia in 2005. In 2012, he joined Renault as Chief Competitive Officer, was promoted to COO in 2018, and held the CEO position from November 2018 until October 2019.
Bolloré assumed the role of acting CEO of Renault after the November 2018 arrest of former CEO Carlos Ghosn, before being officially appointed CEO. In October 2019, he was abruptly dismissed by the board amid reported tensions with Nissan and accusations concerning improper use of company funds linked to consulting engagements with the Boston Consulting Group.
In 2020, Bolloré took on the CEO role at British car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover, stepping down in November 2022 due to personal reasons.
Early and personal life
Born on 30 May 1963 in Quimper, located in the Brittany region of France, Bolloré earned an MBA from Paris Dauphine University. He is passionate about sailing and owns two vessels: a Danish X-37 sailboat and a Boston Whaler. He is a father to five children.
Michelin
Thierry Bolloré launched his career at Michelin in 1990, initially managing a heavy truck tyre production facility. From 1993, he led the Process and Quality central team responsible for all heavy truck factories worldwide. Subsequently, he directed the Method Group for heavy truck divisions across Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. In 1997, he relocated to Japan as an industrial assistant at Michelin’s passenger car plant and became production manager for the truck factory in Thailand in 1998. He ultimately served as managing director overseeing truck and aircraft sectors. By 2002, Bolloré had advanced to vice president responsible for global industrial operations within Michelin's Aircraft Business.
Faurecia
In 2005, Bolloré transitioned from Michelin to join Faurecia, a global automotive components supplier, as vice president for Asia within the exhaust systems division. He progressed to vice president overseeing worldwide strategy, marketing, business development, and research and development. By 2010, he was vice president for Europe and South Africa at Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies and later assumed global responsibility for industry operations, quality assurance, and procurement.
Renault
Joining Renault in September 2012 as executive vice president for manufacturing and supply chain management, Bolloré was promoted to chief competitive officer in 2013.
On 19 February 2018, amid governmental pressure to prepare for CEO Carlos Ghosn’s succession, Bolloré was appointed chief operating officer (COO), becoming second-in-command following a selection process involving both internal and external candidates.
After Ghosn’s arrest on 19 November 2018 in Japan, Renault’s board designated lead independent director Philippe Lagayette as chairman and appointed Bolloré as Deputy Chief Executive Officer (acting CEO) with authority equivalent to that previously held by Ghosn.
The interim leadership concluded on 24 January 2019 when Jean-Dominique Senard became chairman and Bolloré was confirmed as CEO.
During his leadership, relations between Renault and its longstanding partner Nissan worsened considerably. Bolloré’s management approach was characterized as "brutal," resulting in notable executive departures to rivals such as PSA-Peugeot-Citroën and an increased dependence on managers without automotive backgrounds recruited from consulting firms like the Boston Consulting Group. Media coverage pointed to an "overreliance on consultants."
On 11 October 2019, Renault’s board unanimously voted to remove Bolloré citing ineffective personnel management and strained relations with Nissan. Bolloré publicly condemned this action as a "disturbing coup" in an interview with Les Echos and sought intervention from the French government—a principal shareholder—to avert further instability. The government reaffirmed its support for chairman Senard.
On 18 February 2021, reporting by Le Monde disclosed Bolloré’s close association with Boston Consulting Group during his tenure as deputy CEO. The consultancy developed a transformation initiative promising €1 billion in value creation but faced internal criticism for excessive jargon and ambiguous outcomes. The contract with Boston Consulting Group was reportedly worth about €40 million. The consultancy refuted these allegations, emphasizing a stringent selection procedure. An internal audit was conducted; however, its findings have not been made public.
Jaguar Land Rover
Thierry Bolloré was named CEO of the British automaker Jaguar Land Rover on 28 July 2020 and officially assumed the role on 10 September 2020. He introduced the Reimagine strategic initiative on 15 February 2021, which centers on redefining sustainable luxury for the modern era. As part of this vision, Jaguar plans to transition to a fully electric lineup by 2025, while Land Rover intends to launch six all-electric models within the same timeframe. Additionally, Bolloré established an ambitious goal for Jaguar Land Rover to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2039. He resigned from his position in November 2022, attributing his departure to personal reasons.
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) was involved with JLR, delivering results comparable to those achieved at Renault.