Renault has rejuvenated its brand narrative through its bold ‘Renaulution’ strategy. Adam Wood, Managing Director of Renault UK, discusses his leadership role in aligning his organisation with the new brand vision in conversation with Lynda Ennis, Co-founder and CEO of Ennis & Co Group.
Lynda Ennis: While all the talk in the industry is currently about tariffs and the Chinese, you have got on with building your own narrative at Renault in terms of re-energising the brand. How have you managed to do that so successfully, and what has been the impact on your organisation from the point of view of people?
Adam Wood: I think it all starts with passion and a vision. When Luca de Meo [CEO of Renault Group] arrived and his senior leadership team built the Renaulution plan, they brought a genuine passion to rekindle the magic of the Renault brand.
Progress is often born out of necessity, and it’s true the company was in a difficult financial situation at the time. But the vision also was extremely clear: a shift from volume to value, putting product back at the heart of the company. These had been the magic ingredients of the brand’s success over many, many years, but had perhaps become diluted.
The strategy obviously involved some bold choices. Facing the shift to electrification, Renault made a very clear choice to go for a “two-legged” strategy: full electric, including dedicated EV-native platforms, and full hybrid powertrains. It also involved making the right choices in terms of partnerships and being humble. For example, partnering with Google instead of developing software in-house was a smart move.
Above all, there was the desire to rekindle the human emotion that’s always been in Renault’s DNA. I think you see that in the Renault 5: it’s a design born of love and a car that makes everyone smile. There’s attention to detail nodding to our heritage, but it’s also a truly modern reinvention. You also see that in the new brand identity, with the new logo inspired by Victor Vasarely’s original 1972 design and in the way the brand is now unashamedly true to its French roots.
LE: How did you take your people on this transformation journey? Did you have to change the way people thought about the brand?
AW: Part of the success is the fact that we’ve now got a unique blend of people who understand the DNA of Renault after many years of loyal service, coupled with newcomers offering fresh perspective. Critically, everyone is united behind a common vision, and clear, regular and inspirational communication has been key to this.
We have technology experts with no prior automotive experience, bringing insight into the next generation of digital customer experience. We’ve also attracted people from competitor brands with deep automotive expertise, offering new perspectives on how Renault operates. I think that combination has allowed us to execute our ‘Renaulution’ vision, which is to put Renault’s DNA at the heart of the strategy, but to do things in a different, more dynamic and agile way.
LE: Apart from bringing in new people with complementary skill sets, how did you take your existing people on the journey? Did you put special training and development in place to align them with the new vision?
AW: First and foremost, it starts with honesty. Step one is about being transparent about the current situation and not sugarcoating it. Progress comes from seeing the reality of where you are. That is how you gain trust. Everything needs to be communicated clearly and transparently, both to newcomers and existing staff.
The next step is all about inspiration. For us, it was about communicating Renaulution in a clear and simple way: a three-phase plan of Resurrection, Renovation and Revolution, with clear objectives articulated via simple phrases and concepts that people can remember. Luca de Meo is also a great user of figurative language. He talks a lot here about being a “Champions League contender”, instilling the mindset that we can compete with the best through talent, teamwork and a little sweat!
We want our people to believe in the positive future that we have. Renaulution was a bold ambition and it required inspiration and disruption to ignite the ‘comeback’.
LE: Once you reach Champions League status, you want to stay there every year, don’t you? But the influence of China makes that increasingly challenging. Every time you blink, a new Chinese brand seems to be entering the market or a new joint venture is signed. From a people perspective, you’re also having to compete for the best talent and to retain the people who are responsible for the magic you have described when competitors come knocking on your door.
AW: Ultimately, I believe competition makes you better. You must embrace it and be humble enough to acknowledge where your competition is strong and have the mindset to learn from them and do better.
All leaders are faced with getting the delicate balance right between celebrating success while also having the humility and hunger to acknowledge where there are opportunities to improve. Continuing the football analogy, there has not been a Champions League winner that hasn’t faced a few difficult fixtures on the road to the final, with perhaps the odd lucky goal or penalty shoot-out along the way!
Competition inspires you to try new things, to learn and to get better. Sometimes I think we underestimate how inspiring it is to be able to be part of a once-in-a-lifetime journey to electrification, in a challenging and uncertain world. Nobody knows the trajectory of the speed of EV adoption, but we believe we can compete with the best and get to the Champions League final. Our New Renault 5 is the living proof: it shows that the combination of emotional appeal and rational appeal can win over customers, and that’s an important antidote to some of the negative media narrative around EVs.
LE: You have returned to Renault after a period with Stellantis, so you’ve seen things from different perspectives in terms of brand and leadership. How has that shaped your leadership style?
AW: I’ve been fortunate to work under many exceptional leaders with different approaches. This has taught me that there is no one-size-fits-all blueprint for great leadership: different strengths and characteristics suit different situations and times.
I’ve seen leaders who have had to make tough decisions against the popular will. They faced a lot of short-term criticism, but were later recognised for making decisions that were in the medium-term interests of the company. That takes a lot of personal resilience, bravery and integrity.
I believe that it is also a leader’s role to express genuine desire and passion to inspire. Ultimately, it about creating a culture of enthusiasm and positivity to be better.
Alongside this, I think it is also about creating – and living – a culture with clear values. At Renault, we pride ourselves on being a human brand with a people-centric culture. Irrespective of the pressures of day-to-day business, always treating people with respect, professionalism and empathy is important. Great leaders should also be good ‘shock absorbers’ in difficult times.
The other thing I look for is complementarity between people, and this is where DE&I comes into the equation. It’s important to assess the skill sets of job candidates in terms of how they add to those of the existing team to ensure a balance of perspectives. You want healthy debate and positive conflict to get better outcomes. In a world that is increasingly diverse and uncertain, getting the right balance of perspectives is important because we’re facing challenges that we’ve never seen before.
Finally, I believe in creating a culture of trying things. Creativity is increasingly important to navigate a shifting landscape. You can’t have teams that are frightened of failure or we stifle innovation. From a leadership perspective, this requires a level of emotional intelligence to manage risk while giving people the freedom to try new things and make mistakes.
LE: Looking back at your career, what are the key learnings and pieces of advice that have helped shaped you as a leader, and what advice would you give to others coming into the industry?
AW: I have a long-held belief that you should do what you enjoy. Follow your passion and give it everything with a smile. I’ve been very fortunate to turn a passion into a career, having loved cars from a very young age, and that has been the foundation. If you love it, you go the extra mile.
It’s also important to push yourself outside your comfort zone and confront your biggest fears. I remember securing my first ever role as a young management trainee in Renault’s Marketing Planning team. As a French graduate, the prospect of being responsible for the company’s numerical sales reporting and forecasting was more than daunting. Looking back, it perhaps gave me a foundational new skill set which unlocked the opportunities to succeed. I turned a fear into a strength, and I believe that any new role should always give you a little feeling of trepidation – that’s where growth comes.
I also think emotional intelligence is crucial. During your career, you go through difficult times and great times, but it’s important to remain level-headed. You should focus on where you can improve, celebrate and enjoy successes, but equally shouldn’t get too down when times are tough.
In terms of advice to people coming in, I would say ‘be brave’ and don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo. Let’s be honest: the car industry experienced very limited change in more than a century. Now we’re about to go through a period of huge opportunity. People need to go in with the mindset that change equals opportunity, not just risk. More than ever, it’s a time to challenge the way we work in the industry and come up with new ideas because we’re in quite a Darwinistic world right now. Those that innovate will survive and prosper and those that don’t may fall by the wayside.
LE: Who has inspired you during your career, and what was it about them that inspired you?
AW: Luca de Meo is one of the most inspiring individuals I’ve ever come across in my time in automotive. He has a rare curiosity and inquisitiveness about the world and a unique ability to navigate huge complexity to define a vision, to articulate it and then to execute it. He does so with charisma, a human touch and an ability to galvanise the leadership team and company around him. As he moves on to new personal adventures, he has certainly left an indelibly positive mark on the company.
LE: If you had a crystal ball and were able to look five years ahead, what do you think that’s going to mean for the industry?
AW: The shift to electrification is undeniable, though the pace of change may be volatile. I think it is important that we don’t forget customers. In its obsession with the rational conundrums of electrification, from range anxiety to total cost of ownership, I think the industry has forgotten about emotion to a certain extent. People don’t buy propulsion ; they buy a brand, a piece of design, a lifestyle. What we’ve seen with the Renault 5 this year is that if you get the ingredients of a sense of fun, great design and accessible pricing, then you create real Retail demand for EVs.
As well as keeping sight of customers, it is important to make the shift to electrification as easy as possible. We’re sometimes guilty of using industry jargon and being a bit inward-looking, without taking account what it means to go electric for the average person. Brands that are going to succeed need to consider the entire ecosystem alongside the vehicle, which means thinking about charging solutions and having the right expertise and support in the dealer network. Our retailer relationship is very important because they are playing a vital role to play in the shift to electrification. It means investing in training and the right facilities, equipped to support customers in making the transition.
LE: Last question. Given your previous football analogy about the Champions League, what would you say if a head-hunter approached you about coaching the England football team.
AW: I would have the humility to say that I’m not quite qualified to do the job! Like many, I would have a few choice opinions on Thomas Tuchel’s team selection and tactics if I was on a panel of pundits, but walking the walk is very different to talking the talk.
In all honesty, I’m extremely fortunate to have the role that I have and at the time that I have it, being part of the renaissance of the Renault brand and enjoying the journey as part of a great team. It is a unique opportunity and I’m hungry to make the most of it, to take Renault to the heights it deserves in the UK.
