Geodis appoints new CFO as Tarac moves to head AI department

Carole Besnard

A double appointment for Geodis today, with Carole Besnard (pictured) and David-Oliver Tarac shifting roles as part of the company’s effort to strengthen its management board.

Having held the deputy CFO role since 2018, Ms Besnard takes over from Mr Tarac as CFO, while he becomes EVP of artificial intelligence at the group’s new AI department.

Both appointments come from within, with Ms Besnard having joined the firm back in 2012, following positions at Keolis and SNCF.

After two years she moved back to SNCF only to later return to Geodis in 2017 as group accounting and internal audit director.

Mr Tarac came to Geodis in July 2022 as deputy chief financial officer only to be appointed CFO five months later.

Geodis said that the launch of the new AI department marks the company’s determination to make the technology a “key part of its strategy” moving forward.

It added: “This positions AI as a driver of performance, process simplification and innovation across all lines of business.

“The initiative will enable us to harness the power of AI to accelerate its transformation and drive sustainable growth for its customers and partners throughout the world.”