Travel, technology and transformation executive Peter Gowers has been named the new chairman of the management board and group chief executive officer at Europcar Mobility Group.

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 from European budget hotel operator Travelodge, where he recently served as chief executive.

Prior to this, he was chief executive of Safestore Holdings, an Anglo-French services and real estate business. His experience also includes 10 years with the global hotel operator InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), serving successively as its head of strategy, group chief marketing officer and CEO for Asia-Pacific, and with the technology and strategy consulting firm Arthur D Little.

He said: “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.”

His appointment follows the departure of Caroline Parot, who announced her intention to leave Europcar Mobility Group earlier this month, following changes to the company’s leadership structure.

Parot will remain as an advisor to the business until the end of July 2022 to support a smooth transition to the new management team.

Green Mobility Holding, a bidder consortium consisting of Volkswagen, Attestor and Pon Holdings, has become the controlling majority shareholder of Europcar Mobility Group.

Changes the governance of the business, replacing its current one-tier board of directors with a two-tier structure with a supervisory board and a management board, were confirmed yesterday (Wednesday, June 29) at Europcar Mobility Group’s Annual General Meeting.

The appointment of five candidates for the newly created supervisory board – Imelda Labbé and Holger Peters of Volkswagen, Jan-Christoph Peters and David Alhadeff of Attestor as well as Janus Smalbraak of Pon Holdings – were also rubber-stamped.

The new chief financial officer is Philip de Klerk, who recently served as Group CFO of international shoe manufacturer and retailer Clarks, was also appointed.

He started his career at Unilever, where he spent 16 years in various roles, including CFO for Switzerland and the Benelux region.

Following this, he served in senior finance roles with chemicals company Ineos and brewing and beverage company SAB Miller, before he was appointed CFO at the regional airline FlyBe and then CFO and CEO of materials manufacturer Low and Bonar.

He said: “I am delighted to be joining Europcar Mobility Group for the next stage of its journey and to deliver both transformational and operational improvements. We have strong shareholders and a platform to drive our investments in building a leadership position in mobility.”

Holger Peters, newly appointed as chairman of the supervisory board of Europcar Mobility Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome Peter and Philip to their new roles.

“Peter is a highly experienced global executive with a background in brands, travel and technology transformation.

“His appointment will add key international leadership skills to complement the extensive capabilities in car rental and mobility within the company and its shareholders.

“Philip brings great experience as a CFO in the consumer space. 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.”

Green Mobility Holding, which launched a tender offer for Europcar Mobility Group in 2021, aims to acquire more than 90% of the share capital and voting rights of Europcar Mobility Group.

Following the initial tender period, Green Mobility Holding currently holds 87.38% of the share capital and at least 87.36% of the voting rights of Europcar Mobility Group.

Remaining shareholders of Europcar Mobility Group who have not tendered their shares at that time had the opportunity to do so during the supplemental acceptance period that ended yesterday (Wednesday June 29).

The final results of the consortium’s tender offer for the shares of Europcar Mobility Group are expected to be announced on July 5, 2022.

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