ALD Automotive, the French fleet management and car leasing company, has made changes to its senior management team and board.

ALD chief operating officer John Saffrett has been made deputy chief executive officer of ALD, effective 1 April 2019.

Saffrett has held various roles within ALD between 1997 to 2006, joining Fimat/Newedge UK (now Societe Generale Prime Services) in 2006 as Europe chief information officer and global head of corporate IT services, becoming program director of the business in 2011. He returned to ALD in 2015 and was appointed chief administrative officer in 2015, and chief operating officer in 2017.

ALD deputy chief executive officer Gilles Bellemere will also take on the role of chief executive officer of ALD Automotive France, the group’s largest subsidiary, replacing Jean-Michel Chanal who is retiring.

Bellemere joined Societe Generale’s retail banking division in 1987 with various management roles, joining ALD Automotive France in 2001 as operations director. He returned to Societe Generale’s retail banking unit between 2014 and 2017 before joining ALD as deputy chief executive.

Philippe Heim, deputy chief executive of Societe Generale has joined as an ALD board member for four years, replacing Gianluca Soma, whose mandate is due to expire.

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The business intends to make Heim its chairman replacing Didier Hauguel, who will remain as a director.

Didier Hauguel, chairman of ALD, said: “ALD continues to grow following its successful IPO, with the full support of Societe Generale Group. I welcome the upcoming appointment of Philippe Heim to continue to oversee the development of our company.”

Board expansion

Chief executive officer Mike Masterson has decided to expand ALD’s Executive Committee, composed of the general management and Gilles Momper, chief financial officer, to include two new members, whose appointment will be effective 1 June 2019.

Hans van Beeck will join the executive committee as the chief administrative officer, a newly created position. He will be responsible for supervising ALD’s corporate functions, including risk, compliance, legal, corporate social responsibility and communications, in addition to his current role as head of investor relations.

Van Beeck has been with Societe Generale since 2005 in a number of senior roles and most recently advised on the IPO of the business in 2017, setting up the Investor Relations function in the process.

Guillaume de Léobardy will join the executive committee as group regional director and will be responsible for supervising ALD’s regional hubs. He joined ALD in 2004 to start up ALD’s Russian operation and has served as its Portuguese subsidiary chief executive and Danish subsidiary chief executive, and director of its ALD Nordic business.

Mike Masterson, chief executive officer of ALD, said: “I am convinced that, with these managerial appointments and the expertise the new members bring to the Executive Committee, we are well positioned to continue ALD’s development and enhance our position as a global leader in the provision of mobility solutions. I would like to thank Jean-François Chanal for his long-standing commitment to the Group and his outstanding contribution to ALD Automotive in France.”