The government triggers, unsurprisingly, the post-Ghosn. The Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, asked this Wednesday the convocation of a board of directors “In the next few days” – this weekend according to our information – to appoint a successor to CEO Renault, still incarcerated in Japan.
“I always said, recalling the presumption of innocence of Carlos Ghosn, that if it were to be permanently prevented, we will have to move on, to a new stage. We are there and we are now entering a new stage, “explained Bruno Le Maire on LCI.
The state is the largest shareholder of Renault, with 15.01% of the capital but preferential voting rights, and had so far supported the group’s decision to keep Carlos Ghosn in office, opting instead for an interim management . The triggering of a process for the appointment of a new CEO of Losange was nonetheless felt since the Tuesday refusal of the Tokyo Tribunal to release Carlos Ghosn on bail, even though his lawyers appealed the decision.
Delegation to Tokyo
Several emissaries of the French government, including the chief of staff of the Minister of Economy and Finance Emmanuel Moulin, were dispatched Wednesday in Tokyo. They were to talk with protagonists of the Renault-Nissan file, including the boss of Nissan Hiroto Saikawa (Nissan holds 15% stake in Renault without voting rights in general meeting).
“This trip was planned for several days,” said government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux. “The goal is simple, it is the stability of the alliance, stability on which depends the preservation of thousands of jobs in France”.
Bruno Le Maire assured him, like the boss of Nissan in “Les Echos” that “the question of participation in the Renault-Nissan alliance is not on the table”.
Future governance remains to be determined
In France, the automaker is expected to convene a meeting of its nominating committee, which will be followed by a full board session Sunday, Jan. 20, according to Reuters.
Two firms were mandated to nominate candidates from outside Renault, Korn Ferry and Emeric Lepoutre & Partners. Michelin’s outgoing President Jean-Dominique Sénard – whose qualities have been praised by Bruno Le Maire on the LCI set – will hold the reins for Renault’s presidency.
Still, the future governance remains to be determined while Carlos Ghosn has so far accumulated the chairmanship of the diamond manufacturer and that of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance. “It will be the board of directors to define exactly the outline (of) functions in the context of future governance,” said Bruno Le Maire.
In Japan, Carlos Ghosn simultaneously denies all charges against him. He could, if the judges decided, to stay in detention for several more months . The end of her tenure at the head of Renault, it is only a matter of days.