PSA Peugeot Citroen and China Chang'an Automobile Group announced on Feb 22 the proposed appointment of Gilles Boussac as president of Chang'an PSA Automobile.

The proposal will be submitted to the joint venture's board of directo rs on Mar 27 for discussion. The incumbent, Eric Apode, 47, will then take charge of PSA Peugeot Citro?n's global projects unit in the Research and Development Department.

Gilles Boussac, 52, has more than 30 years of experience in brand planning, R&D and sales network building at PSA Peugeot Citroen. He served as managing director of a sales subsidiary in Dijon and manager of the body-in-white unit at the Rennes production center. From 2005 to 2007, he was executive vice-president of Technical Affairs with Dong Feng Peugeot Citro?n Automobiles in China, then senior vice-president of Product Strategy and Markets for the Peugeot brand. He has been executive vice president of Aftersales Services and Parts since 2009.

Apode has served as the President of CAPSA since November 2011. During the past six years in China, he has held a variety of positions, such as executive vice-president of Dongfeng Peugeot Citro?n Automobile and technical director of Purchasing and Styling, PSA Peugeot Citro?n Asia. Under his leadership, the joint venture received approval from Chinese authorities.

In 2013, CAPSA will initiate a new phase with the start-up of local production of the DS5 during the second half.