New chief executive appointed to leading zero-emissions bus manufacturer Wrightbus

A new chief executive officer has been appointed to leading zero-emissions bus manufacturer Wrightbus.

Jean-Marc Gales has spent over 30 years in the automotive industry and brings a wealth of technical, engineering, commercial and sales experience as a senior executive, most recently serving as chairman of Williams Advanced Engineering before its sale to Fortescue Future Industries. In a distinguished career, Jean-Marc led the successful turnaround of Lotus as CEO.

He was a former CEO of Peugeot and Citroen, where he delivered an impressive new product portfolio, and CEO of CLEPA, the European Association of Automotive Suppliers.

Jean-Marc is a board member of EuroGroup Laminations S.p.A., which recently listed on Euronext Milan after the execution of a successful growth strategy.

He joins Wrightbus at an exciting time for the company, with significant orders for its class-leading electric and hydrogen powered buses and plans to develop a green hydrogen production facility at the company’s Ballymena headquarters.

Jean-Marc said: “I am delighted to be joining Wrightbus and look forward to building on the considerable success the company has recently achieved in the zero-emissions sector. Wrightbus is leading the way in technological advances in hydrogen fuel cell buses, and has developed world-leading efficient electric power trains, used for hydrogen and battery electric powered buses. Our technological prowess places us in a prime position for growth and global expansion, which will be my focus as CEO.

“Our workforce is at the forefront of zero-emissions transport and I am very much looking forward to working with, and building on, the talented team in Ballymena, who have driven Wrightbus’s reputation across the UK, Ireland and around the world.”

Jamie Burns, Wrightbus chief financial officer, added: “We are delighted to welcome Jean-Marc to the Wrightbus team. His background in manufacturing and his track record in successfully transforming companies coupled with his enthusiasm make him the ideal person to realise the global potential of our zero-emission technology.”