Citroën CEO Linda Jackson is set to be replaced by a former Nissan and Mitsubishi executive in a shake-up of the French firm's leadership, reports suggest.
German automotive publication Automobilwoche cites sources that claim Jackson, the first English woman and only the third woman in history to run a major car maker, will be moved to another role within the PSA Group. What this will be is yet to be disclosed, however.
In the report Jackson’s replacement is said to be Vincent Cobee, a Frenchman who held previous roles at Nissan and was Mitsubishi’s head of production until April, when a management reshuffle took place within the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance in the wake of CEO Carlos Ghosn’s arrest.
However, Citroën has since sent a statement to Autocar claiming that Cobee's position isn't what is reported. It doesn't deny the reports about Jackson's departure, however.
"Vincent Cobee has indeed joined the Citroën management team" the statement confirms. "As of October 1, 2019, he has been appointed deputy to the brand nanager in charge of accelerating the development of the brand internationally. In this capacity, he will be part of the Citroën Executive Committee".
This statement doesn't necessarily change reports tha he will succeed Jackon in due course. If true, it's said that Cobee’s main responsibility would be improving Citroën’s sales outside of its home country. The brand’s European market share was at 4.5% when Jackson took the helm in 2014 and has hovered around the same point since then.
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