Tata Motors on Tuesday announced that the former chief of Renault, Thierry Bollore, will succeed Ralf Speth as the CEO of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) from September.

Earlier this year, the homegrown auto major had said that Speth has decided to retire from his role as executive director and chief executive officer of JLR at the end of his contract term in September 2020. However, Speth agreed to maintain his relationship with the Tata Motors subsidiary by becoming the non-executive vice-chairman. He will also remain on the board of Tata Sons.

Tata Motors had then formed a search committee to identify a suitable successor. The announcement of Bollore as the next CEO should come as a surprise to observers tracking JLR since his name did not figure among the reported contenders. Market circles said that Bollore has his work cut out for him in the current environment that has seen the Covid-19 pandemic severely hitting global economic growth.

He will also have big shoes to fill as Speth as been the CEO at JLR for more than a decade. Speth was appointed as the CEO in February 2010 and is credited with a remarkable turnaround of the business, with increased sales and high profile launches including new XJ.

“An established global business leader with a proven track record of implementing complex transformations, Thierry will bring a wealth of experience to one of the most revered positions in the industry,” Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekaran said in a statement.

Tata Motors added that Bollore has extensive expertise in the automotive business, most recently as the CEO of Groupe Renault and previously in senior positions at global automotive supplier Faurecia.

“JLR is known around the world for its peerless brand heritage, exquisite design and deep engineering integrity. It will be my privilege to lead this fantastic company through what continues to be the most testing time of our generation,” Bollore said on his appointment.

Tuesday’s announcement comes amid JLR witnessing its retail sales for the three-month period ending June 30 being significantly impacted by Covid-19. The company had said that though overall sales were affected during the quarter, it showed an improvement month-on-month. The quarter saw strict lockdowns and social distancing measures leading to temporary shutdowns of most retailers and the company’s plants in April and much of May. For the quarter, retail sales at JLR stood at 74,067 units, a fall of 42 per cent over the same period last year.

Tata Motors is set to announce its results for the quarter ended June 30 on July 31.

During the quarter ended March 31, 2020, revenues at its subsidiary declined to £5,426 million from £7,134 million in the same period last year, a fall of 24 per cent. JLR also suffered a loss of £501 million in the fourth quarter compared with a profit of £121 million in the year-ago period.