Kiekert Appoints New CEO

Heiligenhaus, Germany (July 21, 2021) - At its meeting on July 5, 2021, the Kiekert AG Supervisory Board voted to appoint Jérôme Debreu as chief executive officer and chief financial officer effective immediately.

Debreu will maintain his responsibilities as CFO in the areas of compliance, human resources, finance, controlling and IT while continuing to serve on the Executive Board. The previous CEO, Dr. Guido Hanel, left the company on July 5, 2021.

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

"I am delighted that in Mr. Debreu we have gained a highly experienced international manager who has extensive expertise in the management of complex business units 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 capability especially in the areas of automotive program management, M&A and growth. The Supervisory Board is convinced that Mr. Debreu, together with Kiekert's management team, will successfully lead the company into the future."

"I am looking forward to my new responsibilities at Kiekert. It is a wonderful company with high strategic potential,” said Debreu. “We have the best prerequisites to expand our market position worldwide. I will put a special focus on restructuring 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 top managerial positions in various industries and countries for more than 25 years and received several awards for his management achievements. He successfully completed more than 40 M&A projects on five continents, gained professional experience in over 65 countries and brings a global network with him to his new role. His career includes 12 years with the Knorr-Bremse Group, including four in Munich, where he established customer project management and controlling processes and eight in Hong Kong as the CFO Asia Pacific, where he oversaw growth of the company in the region. Through a record financing strategy, he achieved a debt-free exit from the 2008 global financial crisis and received the award for 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. He drove the growth among others by a spin-off and sale of the composite commercial vehicle supply business to Mutares AG, and the acquisition, break-up and post-merger integration of the global Faurecia Automotive Exteriors division. Debreu was also responsible for the investment in the Chinese JV partner Yangfeng with over 20 sites in China; and for the investment in HBPO from Lippstadt – the global market leader for highly integrated front-end modules (FEM).

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