The previous Chief Operating Officer, Jean-Yves Mazon, has in turn been appointed Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors, acting as consultant to the Managing Director.
Richard Bielle joined CFAO in 1999, as Development Director and went on to become Secretary-General, Finance in 2002. He has acted as Managing Director of CFAO Automotive since 2005.
As a graduate of the Higher Business School, Paris (ESCP), Richard Bielle kicked off his career in finance before joining Renault Trucks in 1988, where he held various positions within the Finance Department. In 1997, he moved on to ING Barings as Senior Manager in charge of project funding.About CFAOA subsidiary of PPR, CFAO is the leader in automotive and pharmaceutical distribution in Africa and French overseas territories. CFAO is also a well-known player in industry and trading with CFAO Industries & Trading and in the distribution of New Information and Communication Technologies (NICT) with CFAO Technologies. Operating in 40 countries with a staff of 10,600, CFAO posted turnover of €2.864 billion in 2008.Find out more: www.cfaogroup.comAbout PPRPPR develops a portfolio of high-growth global brands. Through its Consumer and Luxury brands, PPR generated sales of €20.2 billion in 2008. The Group is present in 90 countries with approximately 88,000 employees. PPR shares are listed on Euronext Paris (FR 0000121485, PRTP.PA, PPFP).
To explore the universe of PPR brands go to www.ppr.com: Fnac, Redcats Group (La Redoute, Vertbaudet, Somewhere, Cyrillus, Daxon, Ellos, The Sportsman’s Guide, The Golf Warehouse and brands of the plus-size division), Conforama, CFAO, Puma and the Luxury brands of Gucci Group (Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Boucheron, Sergio Rossi, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney).CFAO Press Officers: Laurence TOVI: +33 (0)1 46 23 58 80
Christine CALVEZ: +33 (0)1 46 23 58 06