Renault Chief Executive Luca de Meo plans to step down in mid-July and pursue new challenges outside the automotive industry, with French newspaper Le Figaro reporting he is set to become the new boss of Gucci-owner Kering.

Luca de Meo, a seasoned executive with more than three decades of experience in the automotive industry, is set to take the helm at Kering, the French multinational group renowned for its portfolio of luxury brands.

The French luxury group that owns brands such as Gucci, Saint Lauren and Balenciaga, makes an out-of-the-box appointment to revive its flagging sales