Jean-Marc Gales exits Lotus
The former PSA executive is not the man to lead Lotus into the Geely age. More's the pity...
It can occasionally seem like musical chairs when it comes to the position of CEO at global car companies. They're not unlike Premier league managers; there's a large and very public organisation beneath them, and with it comes the can which must be carried, and a sword that they might ultimately be required to fall on. Most are made in the journeyman mould, rising up through the corporate structure until they emerge fully formed at the top. Lots are inevitably faceless businessmen, but some are charismatic, idealistic and deeply invested in the brand.
Jean-Marc Gales, the head of Lotus since 2014, falls into the latter category. He steps down today for what he has euphemistically called 'personal reasons'. More pertinently, he told Autocar that: "Lotus has been in my heart for 50 years" and described it as a "very emotional day". His departure is a shock. The Norfolk based firm stands on the cusp of (what we all hope) is a bright new future under Geely's ownership - a state of affairs which has already worked wonders for Volvo. Gales, having returned Lotus to modest profit in his tenure, seemed the perfect man to continue leading the charge.
Instead, he will join JD Classics, the Essex-based restorer that Gales calls the biggest company in Europe at what it does with "huge potential for global expansion". In his place, Geely will install their own man; Quingfeng Feng, previously CTO at the company, and a 'good guy and a good choice' according to his predecessor. Certainly he will have intimate knowledge of Geely's portfolio, and will be ideally placed to exploit the synergies that will exist between brands as Lotus moves into the SUV-building business.
He will do very well though to achieve the talisman status that Gales enjoyed. Under his watch, and with limited resources, Lotus increased sales by a third. Where former CEOs had attempted feats beyond their means, he worked within the existing structure to improve quality and, with recent product launches like the Exige Sport 410, sought to build cars that were capable of competing with any other sports car in the world.
While Gales learnt the business predominately at PSA (where he was on the managing board prior to arriving at Hethel), his decisions were underpinned by his experience as a lifelong fan, and could recall visiting the Lotus dealership in Luxembourg with his father as a child. Like any good manager, he can justly claim to have left the company stronger than he found it. With Volvo as the working example, we remain eternally optimistic about the firm's future. But today they've undeniably lost someone who had its best interests at heart.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff