A changing of the guard at Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. ... Alain Lemarchand becomes CEO effective Sept. 1, running the magazine and digital businesses in the Americas, including auto ad net Jumpstart Automotive Media; he currently is Directeur Général Délégué for parent company Lagardère Active. Jack Kliger, CEO for nine years, is being bumped up to the new role of U.S. chairman with a focus on strategic relationships. Lemarchand will be responsible for overall strategic development. The soon-to-be CEO has a strong background on the business side, serving as CFO for various Lagardère subsidiaries, Executive Director of Lagardère Active Broadcast, and joined the executive board in 2006.

Lagardère used the announcement to emphasize the importance of the US market, noting that US digital has grown the fastest for Hachette, aided by the acquisition of Jumpstart Automotive Media in 2007. From the release: “HFM U.S. will meet Lagardère Active Group’s stated goal to generate in excess of 10 percent of revenue rom digital activities in the U.S. by 2008.”

Update: From WSJ: Power was centralized in France under Lagardere Active CEO Didier Quillot’s management team, which shifted the company’s focus away from print to digital acquisitions. New management had little faith in Hachette’s leadership in the U.S., the story says. Several months ago Quillot and Kliger began talking about succession plans.