Bernard Hanon

Bernard Hanon, born January 7, 1932, in Bois-Colombes and died November 10, 2021, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, is a French business executive, chairman and CEO of Renault from 1981 to 1985.

Education
During the World War II, his parents, Polish Jews, went into exile in Africa and then in Palestine. In 1944, the family returned to Paris and Bernard Hanon studied at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand.

He is a graduate of HEC Paris and holds an MBA from Columbia University.

Career
He joined Régie Renault in 1959. He was responsible for marketing the American subsidiary until 1963, when the brand sought to impose its Renault Dauphine, in vain. He then left the company for a time to become a professor of economics at Columbia. Returning to Renault, in France, in 1966, he became head of the economic studies and programming department then director of IT and planning. In 1972, drawing on his American experience, having noticed that the development of women's work would lead households to acquire a second automobile, he supported the launch of the Renault 5 (R5), a success. In 1976, he became deputy general manager. Under his leadership, the company, then the leading brand on the European continent, invested $350 million at the end of the decade to acquire 46% of the shares of American Motors Corporation, hoping to manufacture French cars across the Atlantic; it was a failure and the acquisition passed to Chrysler. Director general of Renault in 1980, he was appointed by the government of the new president François Mitterrand, in August 1981, chairman and CEO, to take office in December of the same year, replacing Bernard Vernier-Palliez. Under his mandate, several reforms desired by the socialist government took place, while the CGT had a strong base at Renault (39-hour week, fifth week of paid leave, hiring of young people, etc.). The number of employees is increasing sharply.

In 1983, the agreement signed with Matra was the origin of the Renault Espace the following year, but its launch encountered difficulties. The Renault Super cinq did not meet with the expected success either.

Reappointed in July 1984, Bernard Hanon was dismissed during his second term, in January 1985, after the announcement of a record deficit for the year 1984 of 12.5 billion francs, in the context of the "turning point of the rigor " ; he is replaced by Georges Besse, who will lead a restructuring of the company.

He then created a consulting firm and then became president of the École nationale supérieure de création industrielle.

Bernard Hanon died in 2021 at the age of 89.