二号人物高调离职，雷诺高层再陷震荡

    雷诺公司(Renault SA)首席运营官卡洛斯•塔瓦雷斯上周四宣布离职。就在他辞职的两周前，这位仅次于公司掌门人卡洛斯•戈恩的二号人物向一位记者透露称，他有意出任通用汽车(General Motors )或福特公司( Ford )的CEO。如果继续留在雷诺公司，这个职务就与他无缘。

    据彭博社(Bloomberg News)报道，55岁的塔瓦雷斯曾经寻求在雷诺公司发挥更大作用，但这个想法遭到戈恩（59岁）的断然拒绝。塔瓦雷斯被给予继续担任首席运营官的机会，但他最终选择了离开，打算另谋高就。

    显然，当塔瓦雷斯的声明被法国媒体披露后，雷诺公司上下（包括雇员工会）感到万分震惊，非常不满。

    让雷诺公司的法国工会成员非常愤慨的是，塔瓦雷斯竟然公开表露在其他公司工作的意愿，尤其是因为，在这家汽车制造商就痛苦的成本削减和人事冻结等问题进行的谈判中，他一直是一位核心人物。

    塔瓦雷斯离职的消息公开前，法国第三大工会组织“工人力量”(Force Ouvriere)派发传单称：“当一位首席运营官完全出于个人野心，已经开始如饥似渴地向我们的竞争对手表达加盟意愿时，我们如何还能保持对他的忠诚？”

    塔瓦雷斯在汽车业备受推崇。他成名于雷诺公司拥有43% 股权的日产汽车公司(Nissan Motors)。塔瓦雷斯很可能将在另一家汽车制造商获得一份工作，但想必他将受雇于一家需要一位新首席执行官、或者至少愿意让他成为这个职位竞争人选的公司。

    但一些公司或许会认为，塔瓦雷斯有可能瓦解公司高层。在这些公司看来，他是一位口无遮拦的“大炮”——在媒体上公开表露事业野心的做法有违惯例，是判断力有待商榷的表现。

    通用汽车公司迅速做出了回应。这家公司的一位发言人表示，塔瓦雷斯“不会来这里”。福特公司则拒绝评论此事。

    这是雷诺管理层在过去两年间第二次出现动荡。此前，一起商业间谍丑闻曾经导致雷诺公司三位经理人遭到错误的解职处理。之后，戈恩昔日的二把手帕特里克•佩拉特也被迫离职，塔瓦雷斯随后被攫升为公司首席运营官。

    于雷诺和日产而言，塔瓦雷斯的退出势必将对公司的继任计划产生影响。卡洛斯•戈恩目前的雇佣合约将于明年4月份到期。他是全球顶级汽车制造商中任职时间最长的一位EO，他的地位似乎坚若磐石。然而，日产和雷诺的董事会现在必须在两年内第二次重新考虑这两家汽车制造商的接班人计划。

    Carlos Tavares, chief operating officer of Renault SA and second-in-command to Carlos Ghosn, stepped down from his post on Thursday. His resignation came two weeks after publication of his disclosure to a journalist that he would like to run General Motors (GM) or Ford (F) as chief executive, a post that wouldn't be his at Renault.

    According to Bloomberg News, Tavares, 55, had proposed a wider role for himself at Renault, an idea Ghosn, 59, rejected. He was offered the chance to remain chief operating officer but ultimately chose to leave in search of a top job elsewhere.

    Clearly, constituencies inside Renault, including employee unions, were shocked and disgruntled by Tavares's statements, which lately have been picked up by the French press.

    French labor union members at Renault expressed indignation that Tavares would voice a desire to work elsewhere, especially because he has been a central figure in negotiations for wrenching cost cuts and a personnel freeze at the automaker.

    Force Ouvriere, the third largest French union, distributed leaflets (prior to the news of Tavares's departure) that read "How do we stay faithful to a head of operations who, by sheer personal ambition, already has one eye looking hungrily at our competitors?"

    Tavares has been highly regarded in industry circles. He distinguished himself at Nissan Motors, which is 43% owned by Renault. He may well land a job at another automaker, though presumably he would hire on with a company that needs a new chief executive or at least is willing to make him a contender for that office.

    But some automakers could see Tavares as a potential disruption to the corporate suite, a loose cannon who breached customary protocol and displayed questionable judgment by openly discussing his career ambitions in the press.

    GM was quick to say that Tavares "isn't coming here," in the words of a spokesman. And Ford declined to discuss the matter.

    This is the second dust-up in Renault's executive suite over the past two years. Tavares was promoted to chief operating officer after Renault forced out Patrick Pelata, Ghosn's erstwhile No. 2, in the wake of a corporate espionage scandal in which three Renault managers werewrongfully terminated.

    For Renault and Nissan, Tavares's exit is certain have repercussions to the company's succession plans. Carlos Ghosn's current employment contract expires in April, and as the longest-serving CEO among the top global automakers, he appears to be solidly entrenched. Yet the boards of Nissan and Renault now must reconsider succession at both automakers for the second time in two years.