The one who was also a patron saint of the Mobilize Services subsidiary and the Internal Bank of Renault, RCI, had ensured the difficult transition of the manufacturer since the fall of Carlos Ghosn in 2018.
By Stéphane LAUER
Clotilde Delbos, the “Deputy Director General” of the Renault group – this is how she is mentioned on the group’s official documents -, announced on Wednesday, December 7, that she was leaving her functions during a Board of Directors of RCI Banque SA, of which she was the president. Returning urgently in the afternoon, this advice only lasted a few minutes. The departure of M me Delbos was the only agenda. She did not answer any questions about this decision, simply indicating that she would leave her duties on December 31.
The manager was notably at the head of Mobilize, a subsidiary created in January 2021, which brings together mobility, energy and data management services. Former financial director of the automaker from 2016 to 2020, she had kept the presidency of RCI, the Renault subsidiary responsible for the financing of the vehicle marketed. RCI plays a strategic role due to its important contribution to the manufacturer’s results. It had been particularly precious in recent years, when the group was weakened by the arrest scandal in Japan of its CEO, Carlos Ghosn, in December 2018.
The reasons for the departure of M me Delbos, confirmed by Renault, remain unknown at this stage, but, a few days before the closing of the 2022 accounts, the decision is surprising. Clotilde Delbos was part of the close circle of Renault president, Jean-Dominique Senard, whom she had known when they were both at Péchiney in the early 2000s.
“Contribution to the group’s recovery “
In October 2019, Clotilde Delbos had been appointed Director General of Renault interim, after the dismissal of Thierry Bolloré. Candidate to stay in this position, she had to give up her chair to Luca de Meo on 1 er July 2020. Even if the latter praised his “professionalism [which] made it possible to launch the brand with force Movable “, their relations were tense, according to several internal sources. “I believe, as a financial director then Deputy Managing Director of Renault Group, and CEO of the Mobilize brand, having made my contribution to the group’s recovery. Renault is now positioned at the forefront of the automotive industry and I am convinced that Mobilize and its teams will be the spearhead, “said M Me Delbos in a press release.
Patrick Claude, Director of Financial Services at Renault Group and administrator of RCI Banque SA, was appointed acting president of the financial subsidiary. His appointment will be subject to the approval of the European Central Bank. Fedra Ribeiro, currently Director of Mobilize operations, will succeed M me delbos at the general management of this subsidiary on 1 er January 2023.
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