Luca de Meo, Chief Executive Officer of Renault Group, will step down from the French automaker as of July 15 to pursue new opportunities outside the automotive sector, Renault announced on Sunday, confirming a report by Le Figaro.
According to the newspaper, François-Henri Pinault, majority shareholder and current CEO of Kering, has decided to separate the roles of chairman and chief executive at the family-owned luxury group, paving the way for the Italian executive to become Kering's new CEO.
"Luca de Meo has informed us of his decision to leave his position in order to take on new challenges outside the automotive industry," Renault said in a statement.
The company added that it has begun the process of appointing a new chief executive.
A spokesperson for Kering declined to comment on Le Figaro's report.
(Written by Claude Chendjou, with Tassilo Hummel, Dominique Vidalon and Gabriel Stargardter)