Executive changes at Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance

Gianluca De Ficchy is replacing Véronique Sarlat-Depotte as Alliance executive vice-president (EVP) for purchasing and managing director of the Alliance Purchasing Organisation. He will take up the new role on April 1 this year.

De Ficcy joined Nissan in 2018 as senior vice-president and chairperson of the Management Committee for Europe. In October last year he was made Nissan’s chairman for the newly created AMIEO region, which covers the activities of the group’s brands in Africa, the Middle East, India, Europe (including Russia) and Oceania.

As part of the latest move De Ficcy will join the Groupe Renault’s board of management.

Sarlat-Depotte will move to a new position as Alliance general secretary and will lead the Alliance Cooperation Office, coordinating major projects “to accelerate and deepen operational cooperation, and to broaden the fields of development and application for the benefit of the three member companies”. She replaces Hadi Zablit.

Sarlat-Depotte began her career at Renault in 1989 as part of the Purchasing division. She has held several positions within Renault and Nissan, in France and Japan, including at the Renault Nissan Purchasing Organization (RNPO). In November 2016, she was appointed Alliance global executive vice-president for purchasing, and president of the RNPO.

Since April 2018, RNPO’s scope has been extended to include Mitsubishi’s purchasing activity and renamed the Alliance Purchasing Organization.

“I welcome the arrival of Véronique and Gianluca, who, during their careers, have held various positions of responsibility at Renault and Nissan and have contributed to the strengthening of the Alliance,” said Jean-Dominique Senard, chairman of the Alliance Operating Board and of Renault. “Thanks to their experience and their extensive knowledge of the member companies, they will be able to accelerate the transformation and the dynamics of cooperation within the Alliance, while broadening the fields of application.”

Hadi Ziblit moved to Renault in 2017 to lead Renault Digital upon its launch as managing director. He went on to become Alliance senior vice-president of business development, responsible for “future activities and business breakthrough innovation”, including the development of Common Module Family A-segment platform, partnerships with other OEMs, new technologies partnerships, Alliance Mobility services, product planning synchronisation and Alliance Ventures (the investment fund).

Since June 2019, he has also been CEO of the Alliance joint-ventures dedicated to autonomous mobility services in Boulogne-Billancourt, France and Yokohama, Japan.

“I would like to warmly thank Hadi, who was able to create this new breath of life at the level of the Alliance and who led these highly strategic cooperations for the three companies. His remarkable work allows us to look to the future with optimism, with a portfolio of projects that matches our ambitions.”