• June 2001 Chairman of Transports GRAVELEAU since the founding of the Company, Joël GRAVELEAU prepares to hand on the baton After 35 years as Chairman of the Company, having been, together with his three brothers, responsible for its inception and then for overseeing its national and international development, Joël GRAVELEAU felt the time had come to pass the baton by handing over to another professional, Philippe TARDIEU, hitherto Managing Director of the EUROCARGO division of DANZAS. TRANSITION in TOTAL PEACE OF MIND In 1999, Joël GRAVELEAU had already anticipated the new chairmanship by transferring 70% of GRAVELEAU's capital to the German Group DACHSER. His motives were thus to perpetuate the Company's move towards Europe. "The important thing for me", recalled Joël GRAVELEAU, "was that the transition should be marked by coherence and peace of mind." "It was this very desire", continued Joël GRAVELEAU, "that determined the choice of my successor, a man who, to my mind, possessed values akin to those behind GRAVELEAU's culture, a pragmatic man, a man who displayed both a consideration for the workforce and a professionalism based on a thorough knowledge of the field." Philippe TARDIEU made his debut in the transport world back in 1973 with the ZIEGLER Group, where he gained his experience in many posts, including overseeing operations in several European countries. After 21 years with the ZIEGLER Group, culminating in his vice-chairmanship of the company, he joined DANZAS. "As far as DACHSER was concerned", explained board member, Bernhard SIMON, "Philippe TARDIEU's dual experience within the family-run ZIEGLER and the worldwide organisation DANZAS, set him in good stead for organising the DACHSER/GRAVELEAU alliance, the ultimate aim of which was clearly to secure a positioning for the group among the top 10 operators in transport and logistics in Europe, while cultivating a family tradition handed down over three generations." "The last two years of collaboration with Joël GRAVELEAU", continued Bernhard SIMON, "have been very positive in consolidating the bases of a resolutely European organisation structured around the France/Germany axis. Having followed the successful path charted by Joël GRAVELEAU over the last few decades, we hope to continue in the same direction, with the same successes, under Philippe TARDIEU." Philippe TARDIEU joins the GRAVELEAU Group on 1st July 2001 and will be working alongside Joël GRAVELEAU until 1st September 2001, the official date of his departure. All the news >>