After graduating in Electronics from Grenoble University in France, Jean-Paul Charret started his career as an R&D Engineer in Medical imaging, first with Thomson Medical then with General Electric Medical systems, heading the vascular imaging department.
He joined Valeo Lighting in 1995 to supervise the development of new technologies and joined Valeo Sylvania as head of R&D for about five years. In 2006, he took the head of R&D for Valeo Lighting.
Driving Vision News: In your portfolio, the mainstream automakers are the major customers, with high volume production. How will you improve your portfolio to include more high-level automakers?
Jean-Paul Charret: Valeo Development were the first to extend our portfolio worldwide, starting in the US with GM, Ford and Japanese transplants, then in Japan with Nissan and Toyota through our Alliance with Ichikoh.
Now, with developments in China, India and Brazil, we are reinforcing our presence in leading competitive countries. Meanwhile, our technology and our Quality have been recognized by high level automakers, allowing us to win business with BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Porsche, Volvo, Jaguar, Lexus, Infiniti and Cadillac.