Paris, France-based electrical distributor Rexel announced that Patrick Berard is stepping down as CEO on September 1 to be succeeded on that same date by Guillaume Texier.

Texier, who will join the company after holding several senior management positions at Saint-Gobain, was selected after an extensive search managed by Rexel’s board of directors’ nomination committee and supported by a search firm.

Berard will stay on until March 1, 2022, to work alongside Texier and “ensure a smooth handover in the implementation of Rexel’s strategic roadmap presented in February 2021,” the company said.

“On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to express our sincere thanks to Patrick Berard for his enormous contribution to Rexel,” said Ian Meakins, chairman of Rexel’s board of directors. “He played a critical role in turning around Rexel and returning it to top- and bottom-line growth. He has left his mark on the company and has set it on a profitable growth path that, I am sure, will continue under Guillaume Texier.

“Guillaume’s track record in geographies that are critical to Rexel, his proven ability to deliver strategies that accelerate adoption of digital platforms and deliver growth and his leadership and values make him a natural successor.”