Francois Provost, head of purchasing and partnerships at Renault, has emerged as the board’s preferred candidate to succeed Luca de Meo as chief executive of the French carmaker, according to people familiar with the matter. The board is expected to vote on the appointment at a meeting on Wednesday, one day before Renault is due to report first-half earnings. Provost, 57, joined Renault in 2002 and has held senior roles in Portugal, Russia, South Korea and China before taking charge of group procurement in 2023. His selection would come after de Meo announced his departure to luxury-goods group Kering earlier this month. Renault declined to comment beyond saying its CEO search is well advanced.