José Vicente de los Mozos, a successful career with the support of Ghosn

Everything was going smooth sailing in the career of José Vicente de los Mozos (Valladolid, 1962), Global director of manufacturing and logistics for the Renault Group, and one of the 10 members of its executive committee —along with Gaspar Gascon, another Spanish—, the maximum organ of government. But it is not imagined that the black swan he roamed around and appear when you least expected it.

To be more precise, in the dawn japanese the 19 of November, when “the boss” —as he called always with a half smile of admiration for Carlos Ghosn (president of the Alliance Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi)— was arrested for tax fraud with no time off the plane of the company, nothing more land at the airport tokyo Haneda: “there are No statements, only releases personal”, respond in Communication of Renault Spain when you ask for the opinion Of the young on the scandal that has crushed the confidence among the brands of the consortium. And the brochure were added to the ads of the politicians who threaten almost daily the future of the motor car in Spain and are becoming 2018 in the annus horribilis of the sector.

Of the Lads, an aeronautical engineer at the Polytechnic of Madrid, is president of Renault Spain, and the one responsible for the majority of the factories of the group Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi in the world to function as a clock and take the lead in the ratios of efficiency and productivity. Has consistently met the objectives, which has led you into a career meteoric to the dome of the consortium. And it is one of the professionals most respected in the world in your area. However, new responsibilities, and the fall of “the boss”, will push now to new territories that challenge their management.

One of them came to him in January of this year, with the president of ANFAC, employers ' Spanish sector. ”Let Me roll”, he says with a grimace halfway between smile and if I get to know you! while it attempts to accommodate its nearly two meters of height in a sofa of the Renault stand at the last Paris Salon, where he responded to THE COUNTRY before the arrest of Ghosn.

The other change came in April, when “the boss”, he was promoted broadening their skills, now already in the alliance: “I Spent as director of manufacturing for Renault to bring all the factories of the three brands in Europe, Russia, Latin america, Africa, the Middle East and India. There are only outside of the USA, China and Japan that are not Renault”, required proudly justified, because his career started very low. He was born in Brazil by circumstances (his father worked there), but it feels Valladolid, where he grew up and he lives with his wife and their four children. And in 1978, at age 16, he entered a trainee at Renault, and after graduating, went to the team of engineers from the factory castellana and has made almost his entire career in the alliance.

“Perhaps Betebet what defines his character is that sobriety as castellana ‘to the bread, bread and wine, wine’, always direct and without wandering. He likes to feel the problems on the ground and not the count. It is hard and demanding —as with yourself— but listen and help, because for his baggage international has solutions other sites”, highlights a collaborator.

Of the young men are accustomed to command, but without losing the forms. “Required to meet objectives, and do so on time and costs, but is not tyrant,” says a subordinate. But when the noise or the rhythms of public affairs did not accompany it, the thing is complicated. The onslaught of some Spanish politicians against the diesel, for example, will have been disappointed: “it is very unfair, because the problem is not the diesel, but diesels are old. A Euro6B current emits less CO2 than its equivalent in gasoline, and the same level of NOx (oxides of nitrogen). I think that politicians have to speak in general, with more property. Set out a Table of the Mobility to work together, but the time passes and it is time for doing, not talking”.

The reality is that the Plan of incentives to the electric car, already approved, has remained in the drawer, and in spite of the statements favourable to the politicians and demand potential existing, Spain continues to the tail of the electric mobility in Europe. “When you get to ANFAC I defined the top 5 of what you need the sector: taxation green, improvement of aid —we compete with countries that support more—, to implement the industry 4.0 and to improve the competitiveness —the energy of a factory in Spain is 30% more expensive than in France— and to adopt a sustainable mobility. All politicians and governments of one party and the other I have been told that is the right thing to do. So what is the problem? As always there are many words and few facts,” he adds.

But the turmoil had not done more to start, and the next upset came from Teresa Ribera, minister of Energy Transition, which proposed the death penalty of all the thermal models, gasoline included, for 2040. The announcement, which fired the fears of the buyers and can sink sales, has been disappointing for the Spanish government. Just a few days before, at the inauguration of the aluminium smelter plant of Renault in Valladolid, had been host of the minister, and came away convinced that he had understood the reality of the sector: “Teresa Ribera was a witness there, as has been said publicly, the effort of the manufacturers, and how we understand the future. We know where to go, because Renault-Nissan are the pioneers in electric cars, and lead the sales in Spain, Europe and the world. And it would be good to listen to those who believe in this.”

however, all will be passed to the background after the devastating fall of “the boss”, complete with the wave of challenges that awaits you with the new distribution of power between the first swords of the alliance. The Lads have a good gun to favour, as his character, which makes it have few enemies. And, above all, his family, the best lever to come out the winner: “he Is a tireless worker with a clock of 30 hours, and though spending the week traveling, the Friday makes it impossible to disconnect and be with his wife and children. Is your only hobby, ahead of Real Madrid and the Holy Week in Valladolid”, highlights a countryman.