Peugeot South Africa has announced the appointment of a new managing director. Francis Harnie (46) takes over from Jean Francois Bacos, who returns to the PSA head office in Paris, France.
Harnie has been with the Peugeot organisation for 25 years. He started off in the commercial vehicles division of Peugeot Benelux in 1986, and subsequently held a succession of increasingly senior positions within that company, with a specific emphasis on sales.
He became general manager for sales at Peugeot Italy in 2005, and has been general manager for the Business-To-Business division of Peugeot France since 2008 – a division responsible for sales of 190 000 units this year.
“Of course, I am delighted to be in South Africa, and to take over the reins of the Peugeot brand here,” Harnie says. “This is a market that has significant potential for growth, and also features strongly in Peugeot’s declared objective to globalise the brand.
“While Peugeot enjoys a strong reputation in SA, I am convinced that there is great potential for the brand to increase its sales and market share here. Our challenge is to convince the existing Peugeot dealer network to invest in the future brand, while also increasing the size of and reach of our network, “ he added.
Harnie is married with two daughters, aged 15 and 18. He takes over as managing director of Peugeot South Africa as of 1 September this year.
