Jean-Marc Gales has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ballymena-based bus manufacturer Wrightbus.
Jean-Marc, who has 30 years experience in the automotive industry, replaces Joerg Hofmann, who left in November 2022. Buta Atwal had been acting CEO in the interim.
Most recently he was chairman at Williams Advanced Engineering and he has also been CEO at Lotus, Peugeot and Citroen. He is also a board member of EuroGroup Laminations.
He says: “I am delighted to be joining Wrightbus and look forward to building on the considerable success the company has recently achieved in the zero-emissions sector. Wrightbus is leading the way in technological advances in hydrogen fuel cell buses, and has developed world-leading efficient electric power trains, used for hydrogen and battery electric powered buses.
“Our technological prowess places us in a prime position for growth and global expansion, which will be my focus as CEO.
“Our workforce is at the forefront of zero-emissions transport and I am very much looking forward to working with, and building on, the talented team in Ballymena, who have driven Wrightbus’s reputation across the UK, Ireland and around the world.”
He joins Wrightbus at a time when the company is fulfilling significant orders for electric and hydrogen-powered buses and planning to expand its headquarters to develop a hydrogen-production facility.
Jamie Burns, Wrightbus Chief Financial Officer, adds: “We are delighted to welcome Jean-Marc to the Wrightbus team. His background in manufacturing and his track record in successfully transforming companies coupled with his enthusiasm make him the ideal person to realise the global potential of our zero-emission technology.”
