Changes ahead for Brittany Ferries

The management of French ferry operator Brittany Ferries is preparing for major changes as a result of the retirement of the company's founder and chairman Alexis Gourvennec, who is reported to be seriously ill. Gourvennec has called for an extraordinary board meeting to be held on 1 December, which will decide on a new managerial organisation. In his absence, Henri Jacob, 67, a member of the board of directors since the company was set up in 1972, has been appointed as temporary chairman. New appointments will be made at the board meeting. Charismatic Alexis Gourvennec has been the driving force behind the company's remarkable growth and observers say it not be an easy task to find a replacement; for this reason questions are being asked about Brittany Ferries' future. The company is the dominant ferry operator on the Western Channel with a fleet of seven modern ferries and two high speed ships. The company operates seven ferry routes between northern France, England, Ireland and Spain, carrying about 2.7M passengers and 800,000 cars a year.