Michel Rollier, 62, co-managing partner, assumed responsibility as head of the company on May 28. Rollier, a distant cousin of the Michelin family, plans to continue the direction set out by Michelin, and said in a statement that, “Our strategic orientations are clear. They remain unchanged.”
With the retirement of Rene Zingraff earlier this month, Rollier is the company’s only managing partner. Over the years, Groupe Michelin has been led by as many as three managing partners and as few as one.
"It is an immense sadness for his family, as well as for all of our 130,000 Michelin employees throughout the world," Groupe Michelin said in a statement released late Friday. The selection of Rollier "will ensure the continuity of the group’s management," the company said.
Rollier was born on Sept. 19, 1944 in Annecy (Eastern France). He is married and has three children. His father, FranÇois Rollier, was a co-managing partner of Michelin from 1966 to 1991, and was Francois Michelin’s cousin.
He graduated from the Political Institute of Paris in 1967 and has a degree from the Law University of Paris. From 1973 to 1982, Rollier was responsible for site, divisional and group risk management for the Aussedat-Rey Company, a division of the International Paper Group. From 1982 to 1987, he headed an operational unit and, from 1987 to 1996, he was co-chairman of this company.
He joined Michelin in September 1996. And, he was named director of the legal department in April 1997. Rollier was named a member of the Michelin Group Executive Council in August 1998 and was appointed CFO on Oct. 1, 1999.
In early 2005, Rollier was named co-managing partner.
