CEO & CFO — Global Growth & Strategy Leader

Overview

Heiligenhaus, Germany (July 21, 2021) – At its meeting on July 5, 2021, the Kiekert AG Supervisory Board appointed Jérôme Debreu as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer with immediate effect.

Debreu will retain his responsibility as CFO in the areas of compliance, human resources, finance, controlling and IT and will continue to serve on the board. The previous chairman of the board, Dr. Guido Hanel left the company on July 5, 2021.

In his role as CEO, Debreu will concentrate on expanding Kiekert’s global market position, increasing sales and positioning the company for a successful future.

“I am pleased that in Mr. Debreu we have gained a very experienced international manager who has extensive expertise in the management of complex business areas thanks to a long career at Knorr-Bremse AG and Plastic Omnium,” says Hufeng Xin, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Kiekert AG.

“In addition to his experience in strategic and operational management, Jérôme Debreu has strong skills, particularly in the areas of automotive program management, M&A and growth. The Supervisory Board is convinced that, together with the Kiekert management team, Mr. Debreu will move the company into the future. “

“I’m looking forward to my new role at Kiekert. It’s a wonderful company with great strategic potential, ”said Debreu. “We have the best prerequisites to expand our market position worldwide. I will place a special focus on the restructuring of Kiekert, promoting a quality mentality, concentrating on customer satisfaction, developing a long-term purchasing strategy with key suppliers and making Kiekert a first-class employer. “

Debreu joined Kiekert in 2019. Prior to that, he held managerial positions in various industries and countries for over 25 years and received multiple awards for his management achievements. He has successfully completed more than 40 M&A projects on five continents, gained professional experience in over 65 countries and brings a global network to his new role. His professional career spanned 12 years with the Knorr-Bremse Group, four of them in Munich, where he set up customer project management and controlling processes, and eight years in Hong Kong as CFO Asia Pacific, where he managed the company’s growth in the region. Thanks to a record financing strategy, he managed a debt-free exit from the global financial crisis in 2008 and was named the best MNC Treasury Team Asia-Pacific 2010.

Debreu then moved to Plastic Omnium Intelligent Exterior Systems, the largest division of Compagnie Plastic Omnium in Paris. Among other things, he drove growth through the spin-off and sale of the composite commercial vehicle supply business to Mutares AG as well as the acquisition, demerger and post-merger integration of the global division Faurecia Automotive Exteriors. Debreu was also responsible for the investment in the Chinese JV partner Yangfeng with over 20 locations in China; and for the participation in HBPO from Lippstadt – the world market leader for highly integrated front-end modules (FEM).

Debreu studied at the Neoma Business School in France and has a Masters in Business Management and a Bachelor in Business Administration. In 2021 he was certified in corporate law, compliance and corporate governance at Sciences Po Paris / IFA.