Mr Jonnaert, a long time public affairs and communications professional, joined ACEA in July after having been appointed successor to Ivan Hodac.

Mr Hodac is to retire after 12 years as the ACEA’s secretary general but will stay on as senior advisor to the ACEA Board and to the secretary general until the end of the year.

Mr Jonnaert is a graduate of Harvard Law School and began his career with Linklaters, a law firm, in Brussels. He later joined Procter & Gamble, spending over 25 years in various leadership roles in Europe and Asia, where he was responsible for legal, public and regulatory affairs, as well as communications.