New Secretary General for European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association

Brussels, 17 June 2013 – Following the meeting of its Board of Directors on Friday, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) announced the appointment of Erik Jonnaert as the Secretary General of ACEA, with effect this autumn.
Mr Jonnaert will replace Ivan Hodac (67) who after 12 years at the helm of ACEA will be taking his retirement. A Belgian national, Mr Jonnaert (55) is a graduate of Harvard Law School, who started his career with the Linklaters law firm. He subsequently joined Procter & Gamble (P&G), where he gained over 25 years of global experience in public affairs, regulatory affairs, communications and stakeholder relations. His last role was vice president for P&G’s external relations in Asia. Jonnaert: “It is a great honour to have been given this opportunity to represent what is one of the strategically most important industries in Europe in these challenging times.”
ACEA President Sergio Marchionne, who is CEO of Fiat and Chrysler stated, “We are delighted to welcome Mr Jonnaert to the industry and to ACEA. We are confident that he will build upon the exceptional work of Mr Hodac, who has steered ACEA smoothly for many years, shaping it into one of Brussels’ most respected associations.”
Notes for editors
About ACEA
- The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) represents the 14 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Renault Group, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group.
- Visit www.acea.auto for more information about ACEA, and follow us on www.twitter.com/ACEA_auto or www.linkedin.com/company/ACEA/.
- Contact: Cara McLaughlin, Communications Director, cm@acea.auto, +32 485 88 66 47.
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About the EU automobile industry
- 13.0 million Europeans work in the automotive sector
- 11.5% of all manufacturing jobs in the EU
- €374.6 billion in tax revenue for European governments
- €101.9 billion trade surplus for the European Union
- Over 7% of EU GDP generated by the auto industry
- €59.1 billion in R&D spending annually, 31% of EU total