Heiligenhaus, 14. July 2021

The Supervisory Board has appointed Jérôme Debreu new CEO and CFO of Kiekert AG. The new Kiekert head is highly familiar with the global automotive industry and has experience in doing business in Asia. With Debreu, Kiekert has gained a renowned strategist and financial expert.

Kiekert AG has established a new Management Board: Dr. Guido Hanel, Chief Executive Officer of Kiekert AG, left the company on July 5, 2021.

At its meeting on July 5, 2021, the Supervisory Board voted to appoint Jérôme Debreu (46) Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Kiekert AG effective July 5, 2021.

Jérôme Debreu, already a member of the Kiekert AG Executive Board as CFO since 2019, thus assumes the role of CEO of Kiekert AG in addition to his previous responsibilities in the areas of compliance, HR, finance, controlling and IT.

Debreu has held top managerial positions in various industries and countries for over 25 years and has received several awards for his management achievements. He has successfully completed over 40 M&A projects on five continents, gained professional experience in over 65 countries, and brings a global network with him to his new job.

His career includes 12 years with the Knorr-Bremse Group, including four in Munich. In the Bavarian capital he established customer project management and project controlling processes that are still in place today. For eight years he worked for this company in Hong Kong as CFO Asia Pacific, reporting directly to Heinz Hermann Thiele – Chairman of the Supervisory Board – and oversaw the growth of Knorr-Bremse Asia Pacific. Through a record financing strategy, he achieved a debt-free exit from the 2008 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 the listed company 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) – before joining Kiekert AG in 2019.

“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 expertise especially in the areas of automotive program management, M&A and growth. The Supervisory Board is convinced that Mr. Debreu, together with Kiekert’s successful management team, will successfully lead the company into the future.”

“I am looking forward greatly to my new responsibilities at Kiekert. It is a wonderful company with high strategic potential. We have the best prerequisites to expand our market position worldwide. I will put a special focus on restructuring Kiekert, promoting the quality mentality, concentrating on customer satisfaction, developing a long-term purchasing strategy with strategic suppliers, and making Kiekert a first-class employer.

With my background and experience, we will increase Kiekert’s sales and set our sails for a successful future through a digitization push,” says Debreu. Debreu studied at Neoma Business School 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.

He is married and has three children.

The Kiekert Group is the world market leader for automotive locking systems with a market share of 21 %. The Group and the joint ventures employ around 5,300 people at 10 locations in 10 countries including 8 R&D centers. The Group supplies over 100 automotive customers. The company’s success story began in 1857 with headquarters in Heiligenhaus, Germany. Kiekert is an indispensable strategic partner for automotive manufacturers on all continents as well as a modern and reliable employer.