Clotilde Delbos, the “deputy managing director” of the Renault group – this is how she is mentioned in the group’s official documents – announced on Wednesday December 7 that she was leaving her position during a board meeting of RCI Banque SA, of which she was the president. Meeting urgently in the afternoon, this council lasted only a few minutes. The departure of M.me Delbos was the sole agenda. She did not respond to any questions about the decision, simply stating that she would step down on December 31.
The leader 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 car manufacturer from 2016 to 2020, she had retained the presidency of RCI, the Renault subsidiary responsible for financing vehicles marketed. RCI plays a strategic role through its significant contribution to the manufacturer’s results. It had been particularly valuable in recent years, when the group was weakened by the scandal of the arrest in Japan of its CEO, Carlos Ghosn, in December 2018.
The reasons for the departure of Mme Delbos, confirmed by Renault, remain unknown at this stage, but, a few days before the end of the 2022 accounts, the decision is surprising. Clotilde Delbos was part of the close circle of the president of Renault, Jean-Dominique Senard, whom she had known when they were both at Péchiney in the early 2000s.
“Contribution to the recovery of the group”
In October 2019, Clotilde Delbos was appointed interim CEO of Renault, after the dismissal of Thierry Bolloré. Candidate to remain in this position, she had to give up her chair to Luca de Meo on 1er July 2020. Even if the latter praised his “professionalism [qui] enabled the strong launch of the Mobilize brand”their relationship was strained, according to several inside sources. “I believe, as Chief Financial Officer then Deputy Managing Director of Renault Group, and CEO of the Mobilize brand, that I have made my contribution to the recovery of the group. Renault is now positioned at the forefront of the automotive industry and I am convinced that Mobilize and its teams will spearhead this.”, says Mme Delbos in a statement.
Patrick Claude, director of financial services at Renault Group and director of RCI Banque SA, has been appointed interim chairman of the financial subsidiary. His appointment will be subject to the approval of the European Central Bank. Fedra Ribeiro, currently Chief Operating Officer of Mobilize, will succeed Mr.me Delbos to the general management of this subsidiary on 1er January 2023.
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