Europcar Mobility Group has adopted a new governance structure and leadership team to further its transformation as a leader in sustainable mobility.

Europcar’s incoming chairman said the new leadership team would further accelerate the firm’s transformation into a leading mobility platform

The changes include a new CEO and CFO alongside the establishment of a two-tier board structure with a supervisory board and a management board.

The resolution was proposed by Green Mobility Holding, a Volkswagen-led consortium that’s become the controlling majority shareholder, and adopted at a Combined Shareholders’ Meeting held yesterday (29 June 2022).

The changes see five representatives of Green Mobility Holding elected to the newly created Supervisory Board, including Volkswagen AG’s head of transformation office Holger Peters who becomes chairman.

The Supervisory Board has announced the appointments of Philip de Klerk as a member of the Management Board and group chief financial officer while Peter Gowers becomes chairman and group chief executive officer, both with immediate effect.

Gowers replaces former CEO Caroline Parot, who is credited with having led the company’s transformation to date and announced earlier this month she was stepping down to move onto a new challenge after more than a decade with the company.

Parot will remain as an advisor to the business until the end of July and was thanked for her work by new chairman Holger Peters who said she had “successfully kicked off Europcar Mobility Group’s transformation into a digitally driven mobility provider, while, at the same time, stabilising the business in the midst of economic and geopolitical turmoil”.

Welcoming the new CEO and CFO, Peters added: “With this new, strong leadership team, Europcar Mobility Group will further accelerate its transformation into a leading mobility platform, building on the company’s strengths and the milestones already achieved.”

New CFO Philip de Klerk brings extensive financial experience in the consumer space and recently served as group CFO of international shoe manufacturer and retailer Clarks.

Meanwhile, CEO Peter Gowers is an international travel and technology executive, with more than 25 years’ experience in driving brands, customer experience, technology and transformation in Europe, Asia and the Americas, in both listed and private businesses. He joins Europcar Mobility Group from European budget hotel operator Travelodge, where he recently served as chief executive.

Gowers commented: “Europcar Mobility Group is a great international mobility player with a proud history and an excellent team. People around the world have a growing need to access the right form of transport, on demand, with the least impact on the environment and at a price they can afford. With its scale and expertise in innovation, Europcar Mobility Group is ideally positioned to meet those needs and to become the leader in sustainable mobility. I look forward to working closely with the team over the years ahead to reach the next level in the company’s development.”

Green Mobility Holding’s tender offer for Europcar Mobility Group has now ended. The consortium already holds 87.38% of the share capital and at least 87.36% of the voting rights of Europcar but it aims to acquire more than 90% of both.

The final results of the tender offer are expected to be announced on 5 July 2022.