1st Jun 2005 07:00
Inchcape PLC01 June 2005 1 June 2005 Inchcape announce appointment of new Group Chief Executive Inchcape plc, the international automotive services group, announces that AndreLacroix has been appointed to succeed Peter Johnson as Group Chief Executive. Andre Lacroix, 45, will join the Board of Inchcape on 1 September 2005. He willassume the role of Group Chief Executive on 1 January 2006 at which time PeterJohnson will succeed Sir John Egan as Non-executive Chairman, as previouslyannounced. Sir John Egan will retire from the Board on 31 December 2005. Andre Lacroix has an exceptional international management track record, with avery strong background in retail, marketing, customer service and relationshipmanagement across a broad range of territories. From July 2003 until May 2005, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer ofEuro Disney S.C.A. During his tenure, the Company completed its financialrestructuring and initiated a long term, consumer focused, growth strategy. From 1996 to 2003 he held a series of senior international roles at Burger KingInternational, owned by Diageo. From 2001 to 2003 he was President of BurgerKing International and responsible for all operations outside North America. In2003 Burger King International had sales of approximately US $3.0bn through some3,000 outlets. From 1988 to 1996, he held a series of senior marketing, sales and generalmanagement roles at PepsiCo in a number of their major markets, again outsideNorth America. He previously spent four years in product management at Colgate Palmolive. Peter Johnson, Group Chief Executive, commented: "I am delighted that Andre Lacroix has agreed to be our next Group ChiefExecutive, and I greatly look forward to working with him." "In his career to date, Andre has demonstrated exceptional strategic andoperational acumen in an international environment. He has a very strong trackrecord of leading major retail and other consumer focused businesses across arange of territories, and in managing complex and sensitive relationships at thehighest level; all of which will be key requirements of the role." Sir John Egan, Chairman, said: "In Andre Lacroix, we have identified a first rate successor to Peter. His skills, when combined with the extensive knowledge of the automotive industrythat already exists at Board level, and the strength of our senior operationalmanagement teams, will provide Inchcape with the very high quality of strategicand operational leadership required to continue the success achieved duringPeter's tenure." Commenting on his appointment, Andre Lacroix said: "I am extremely pleased to join Inchcape and look forward to working with Peter,the Board, the management executive team and all employees of the Company.Inchcape has an outstanding operational and financial track record, thanks tothe strengths of its business model, the quality of its management and itsrelationship with manufacturer partners. I am excited about Inchcape's futureand believe that these strong fundamentals will enable the Company to takeadvantage of further growth opportunities." Notes to editors As Group Chief Executive of Inchcape plc, Andre Lacroix will receive a basicannual salary of £620,000. His other contractual terms are consistent with thoseof the current Group Chief Executive, Peter Johnson, which are detailed in theAnnual report and accounts for 2004, and which include a notice period of notmore than twelve months. For further information, please contact: Group Communications, Inchcape plc 020 7546 0022 Hogarth Partnership Limited (John Olsen/Barnaby Fry) 020 7357 9477 Inchcape, an international automotive services group, provides qualityrepresentation for its manufacturer partners, a choice of channels to market andproducts for its retail customers and a range of business services for itscorporate customers. Operations are focused on the UK, Greece, Belgium,Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. Inchcape's activities include exclusiveImport, Distribution and Retail, Business Services, automotive E-commerce andFinancial Services. Our key manufacturer partners are Toyota/Lexus, Subaru, BMW,the Premier Automotive Group of Ford, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen. For further information, visit us at www.inchcape.com This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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