Every year since 2017, the French Bodywork Federation (FFC) and its chairman have presented an honorary award to an industry personality for their dedication to the trade sector and its development.
Following on from Pierre Coppey, CEO of Vinci Autoroutes, the 2025 Industry Personality of the Year award goes to Benoît Tanguy on behalf of the International Trade Association for Automobiles and Motorcycles (Chambre syndicale internationale de l’automobile et du motocycle – CSIAM).
Under the high patronage of Patrick Nardou, Chairman of FFC and Patrick Cholton, Chairman of SOLUTRANS and CARPROMO, the Federation recognises the work conducted by CSIAM’s teams and its commercial vehicle branch chairman. In recent years, the organisation has cemented its reputation as a central point of reference, leading an array of tangible initiatives and authoring strategic position statements, most notably on issues connected with the energy transition.
At a time of increasing budgetary pressures, CSIAM successfully ringfenced a €130-million envelope in 2024 dedicated to subsidies for buying or leasing electric trucks. This was a major achievement for the industry since this support was under threat of being reduced.
Acutely aware of the limitations of road haulage businesses – 85% of which are SMEs with fewer than 10 vehicles in their fleet – CSIAM then mobilised to make these subsidies easier to obtain.
Among its initiatives, it contributed to creating a one-stop admin shop, reducing the paperwork and formalities for these essential industry players. It then played a decisive role in drawing up the specifications of the Energy Savings Certificate (CEE) TRA-EQ-129, a new aid framework that is easier to understand, more systematic and offers visibility to businesses for several years. It also obtained the introduction of a X5 bonus for rigid 12-26T trucks, a key segment in the perspective of meeting net carbon targets.
Furthermore, CSIAM helped raise the profile of heavy mobility zero-carbon issues on the political agenda. In 2023, it notably organised eDay – or Decarbonation D-Day – a major event showcasing the full range of electric heavy-duty vehicles on the market and the technological advances in the sector.
In the wake of this event, today the association advises a group of parliamentarians dedicated to heavy-duty mobility, with the clear goal of ensuring that the challenges of the energy transition in road haulage are firmly incorporated into the lawmaking agenda. This is CSIAM’s way of bringing grass roots concerns closer to political decision makers and driving forward the industry’s big decarbonation projects.
Supported by its exhaustive industry coverage, CSIAM is increasingly taking on the mantle of a unifying player in the road transport ecosystem. Alongside the sector’s other trade associations (Union TLF, FNTR and OTRE), FFC and Avere, but also energy suppliers and charging station operators, it plays a pivotal role in the dialogue between manufacturers, government authorities and energy transition stakeholders.
Following its presentation at the Industry Meetings (Rencontres de la Filière) by SOLUTRANS in 2024, it will also be giving a talk on Tuesday 18 November 2025 at the sector’s flagship event, thus confirming its central position in the discussions surrounding the future of road freight transport.
The FFC will present its award to Benoît Tanguy on 19 November at the SOLUTRANS Gala Dinner at Eurexpo Lyon in the presence of more than 1,400 guests.
Benoît Tanguy, a biography
Benoît Tanguy is a well-known figure in the commercial vehicle sector. After starting his career in cars and LCVs at Mercedes, he joined Scania in 2000. With his technical academic background, he quickly developed a reputation for combining operational expertise with strategic vision.
Over the years, Scania offered him the opportunity to broaden his skills through several specialised training courses in trade, SME management and international management, which complemented his solid technical education.
In 2014, he undertook a new move in his career by relocating to Colombia, where he held the position of Managing Director of the Latin America Business Unit. This experience allowed him to develop a keen understanding of emerging markets and strengthen his leadership skills in multicultural environments.
After a spell in Eastern Europe as Managing Director of Scania Black Sea Unit from 2018, he returned to France to take over as head of Scania France in 2024.
Today, as Chairman of CSIAM, Benoît Tanguy brings his international experience and management skills to bear on the commercial vehicle sector, actively contributing to its development and positioning as a key player.
As Industry Personality of the Year, Benoît Tanguy succeeds Jean-Dominique Sénard (Michelin – 2017), Dominique Fernier (Transpolis – 2018), Veronika Wand-Danielsson (Swedish Embassy – 2019), Aline Mesples, Jean-Christophe Pic and Eric Hémar (chairs respectively of the federations FNTR, OTRE and TLF) (2020-21), Luc Chatel (PFA – 2022), Pierre Coppey (Vinci Autoroutes – 2023) and Philippe Rosier (Symbio – 2024).
