Yamaha Motor Europe NV (YME) announces that, effective January 1, 2024, Eric de Seynes will step down as President and CEO to join the company's supervisory board as Chairman. At the same time, Olivier Prévost, currently Vice-President of YME, will succeed Mr. de Seynes as President and CEO of YME, its branches and subsidiaries in Europe.
Mr. Prévost has been part of the Yamaha family since the start of his professional career in 1994 as a project manager at MBK Industrie, a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha since 1986. Having held several positions within the Yamaha Motor group for a thirty years – MBK Industrie, Yamaha Motor R&D Europe, Yamaha Motor head office in Japan, former subsidiary of Yamaha, Motori Minarelli, Yamaha Motor Europe – Mr. Prévost has acquired in-depth knowledge of the different aspects of Yamaha's business Motor and, therefore, the confidence and total support necessary to succeed Mr. de Seynes.
Eric de Seynes, currently President and Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Europe NV
It has been a great honor and privilege to lead Yamaha Motor Europe group companies since 2014 as Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director, then as President and Managing Director since 2018. During this decade, we have developed a new marketing strategy in Europe, we more than doubled our total net sales and implemented many new customer services and digital applications. Despite the severe Covid environment, we have not slowed down our activity and the deployment of new services. The Yamaha family is made up of passionate, hard-working people whose mindset is to always serve our customers and Yamaha dealers to the best of their abilities and exceed their expectations. I am proud to be part of this family. The mobility needs of our customers are constantly evolving. Especially after the pandemic. We must remain attentive to their needs; we need to stay ahead of the curve and provide them with the best solutions at the right time. Over the past ten years, we have achieved very good and sustainable results, both financially and commercially. The weight of the European business has increased on average from 9% to 13% of the company's overall results (on a global scale), our brand strategy is well established and our single-brand distribution is strong. These positive results mean that the time has come to pass the baton. Leading the YME Group is and always will be a challenge, but I am transferring the position of Chairman and CEO to the more than capable hands of Olivier.
Olivier Prévost, currently Vice-President of Yamaha Motor Europe NV
First of all, I would like to thank Eric for his contribution to Yamaha Motor over the past few years. His passion for the Yamaha brand and products, combined with his leadership, has allowed Yamaha to reach its current position of strength in Europe. It is with great humility and respect that I accept the challenge of succeeding him as President of YME. Over the past ten years, through my various assignments across different Yamaha Motor entities, I have strengthened and broadened my understanding and experience of Yamaha's organization, operations, businesses and markets. With the support of the Yamaha family – and by family, I mean Yamaha employees, suppliers, distributors, dealers and customers – I feel reassured and confident to take on this role. Yes, I don't expect the path to always be smooth, but I believe we can get there as a team. After three years during which our activities and markets have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences, I would like to express Yamaha Motor's ambition to maintain and strengthen its position in our various markets and product groups . This Ambition will be achieved by focusing on innovation in our products and operations, combined with the speed of our actions. The final objective is to strengthen customer experience of Yamaha and our mission Kando. Once again, I would like to thank Eric for his continued contribution and, personally, I do not consider my new mission as an accomplishment in itself but as a new beginning!
Biography Eric de Seynes
| current function | Chairman and Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Europe NV and Senior Executive Officer of Yamaha Motor Co, Ltd. |
| Date of Birth | 9th June 1960 |
| Place of birth | France |
| June 1990 | Head of the marketing department of Yamaha Sonauto |
| January 1994 | Director of the sales and marketing division of Yamaha Motor France |
| July 2001 | President and CEO of the Option SAS Group |
| September 2009 | Managing Director of Yamaha Motor France |
| February 2010 | CEO of Yamaha Motor France |
| May 2010 | Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Hermès International (until now) |
| February 2012 | Chairman and CEO of Yamaha Motor France |
| January 2014 | Operational Director of Yamaha Motor Europe |
| July 2015 | Operations Director of Yamaha Motor Europe NV |
| March 2016 | Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Co, Ltd, |
| January 2018 | President of Yamaha Motor Europe NV (until now) |
| March 2020 | Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd, President of Yamaha Motor Europe NV (until now) |
| From January 1, 2024 | Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Yamaha Motor Europe NV |
Biography Olivier Prévost
| current function | Vice President of Yamaha Motor Europe NV |
| Date of Birth | 7th November 1969 |
| Place of birth | France |
| September 1994 | Project manager of MBK Industrie |
| January 2003 | VGM R&D from MBK Industrie |
| April 2004 | Global Sourcing Manager of MBK Industrie (seconded to Yamaha Motor Components Europe Srl) |
| June 2006 | General Manager of EU Purchasing of Yamaha Motor Research & Development Europe Srl |
| May 2008 | General Manager Product Development of Yamaha Motor Research & Development Europe Srl |
| June 2013 | General Director of Development and Purchasing of Yamaha Motor Research & Development Europe Srl |
| April 2014 | Chairman and CEO of Yamaha Motor Research & Development Europe Srl |
| February 2016 | Deputy General Manager of Supply Center, Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. |
| January 2018 | Senior General Manager of Purchasing Section, Purchasing Center, Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. |
| February 2016 | Deputy General Manager of Supply Center, Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. |
| January 2020 | Director of PTW* Manufacturing & Engineering and Parts & Accessories, Yamaha Motor Europe NV and President of Motori Minarelli SPA (until January 2021) |
| March 2021 | Deputy Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Europe NV |
| January 2023 | Vice President of Yamaha Motor Europe NV (until now) |
| From January 1, 2024 | President and CEO Yamaha Motor Europe NV |
* PTW = Powered Two-wheelers
