New CEO for Mecaplast

Christine Benard at the wheel.

Last week, the auto parts manufacturer Mecaplast [1] named Christine Benard as its new CEO. She takes her place at the head of the Fontvieille based company today.

Benard has several years' experience in consultancy and engineering. A graduate of HEC [2], she's worked with Mercer [3] and Oliver Wyman [4], for 10 years with automotive company Valeo [5], and most recently as VP for Strategy with Alstom [6].

The new position with Mecaplast is likely to be an interesting challenge. The company was founded in 1955 by Charles Manni and has grown to serve the global automotive market with 5580 employees in 14 countries and a turnover of 740 million euros. As a European leader in auto equipment, Mecaplast has been hit by the global economic crisis. It suffered several strikes in Monaco in December 2008 [7] due to temporary unemployment measures. In July 2009, further reports surfaced that the company's French workforce was being cut, following a drop in orders.

For 2010, we wish Mecaplast a happy and successful New Year with a new CEO.