LKQ Appoints New CEO of LKQ Europe
LKQ Corporation, parent company of Keystone Automotive Operations, has appointed Varun Laroyia as chief executive officer and managing director of LKQ Europe, the company announced.
Laroyia, who previously served as the company’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, succeeds Arnd Franz, who is leaving to join MAHLE Group as its chief executive officer, where he spent 18 years prior to joining LKQ Europe.
Rick Galloway, chief financial officer of LKQ’s Wholesale – North America and self-service segments, has also been appointed as LKQ’s senior vice president and chief financial officer.
“Varun has been a driving force and passionate change agent for LKQ the past five years,” said Dominick Zarcone, president and chief executive officer. “With his tremendous leadership and knowledge of the Company and our European markets, I am thrilled that Varun is taking this role. Varun has been my trusted partner in the transformation of LKQ. He has brought tremendous focus to our operational excellence program, establishing important performance metrics and reviews, dramatically improving our working capital efficiency and cash flow, rigorously reviewing our portfolio of businesses, and thoughtfully driving capital allocation decisions. This experience and his strategic vision will play a critical role in taking LKQ Europe to an even higher level of success. Importantly, this leadership transition comes at a time when the European business is on track to deliver on its long-term operational and financial targets.”
“I am excited by the opportunity to take on the role of CEO of LKQ Europe and lead the largest distributor of automotive mechanical parts in Europe,” said Laroyia. “I look forward to working with all our key stakeholders, including our customers, vendor partners, and talented team across Europe, to accelerate progress on the tremendous opportunities that exist within our European business. My priorities will be to deepen our competitive position, grow the business faster than the market, continue the earnings momentum, and generate free cash flow.”
“Rick has been a key contributor to the achievement of the record-level EBITDA margins in our Wholesale – North America and Self Service segments the past few years, having generated significant operational and financial efficiencies,” said Zarcone. “He is a natural fit and will provide continuity as we execute on our strategic priorities to deliver value for our stockholders. We believe Rick’s wealth of operational experience and clear understanding of our returns-focused strategy will serve LKQ well.”
“It is an honor to take on this new position at an important time for the Company,” said Galloway. “LKQ is well positioned for long term success, and I look forward to driving our financial and strategic initiatives, as well as continuing to execute on our balanced capital allocation strategy, alongside our outstanding finance organization.”
