Carlos Tavares
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Carlos Antunes Tavares Dias (born 14 August 1958) is a Portuguese business executive, primarily in the automotive sector. He was the
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
(CEO) of
Stellantis Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automaker formed in 2021 through the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of the Italian–American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group, PSA (Peugeot S.A.) Group. The company's hea ...
from January 2021 to December 2024 (when it was the world's fourth largest automaker by sales), a conglomerate that was formed by a merger that he had overseen, that of the
PSA Group Peugeot S.A., trading as Groupe PSA () (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles unde ...
and
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA), now part of Stellantis, was an Italian-American multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of Car, automobiles, commercial vehicles, List of auto parts, auto parts and production systems. ...
. Earlier, he was
chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...
(COO) at
Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
.


Early life and education

Born Carlos Antunes Tavares Dias on 14 August 1958 in
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
, Portugal, Carlos Tavares' mother was a French teacher ("enseignait la langue de Molière") at his French Lyceum in Lisbon, and his father was a chartered accountant working for a French insurer. Tavares' passion for cars has been traced to the young Carlos, age 14-years, when he discovered motor racing during an open day at the
Estoril circuit The Circuito do Estoril or Autódromo do Estoril (Estoril Circuit), officially known as Autódromo Fernanda Pires da Silva, is a motorsport race track on the Portuguese Riviera, outside of Lisbon, owned by state-run holding management company ...
, near Lisbon. Passionate about cars, Tavares volunteered at that age, to be a track marshal on that circuit. After studying at the
Lycée français Charles-Lepierre In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...
in Lisbon, he left his native country for France at the age of 17 to follow a preparatory course in maths at the Lycée Pierre-de-Fermat in Toulouse. He then graduated as an engineer from the
École Centrale Paris École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing i ...
in 1981.


Career


Renault

Carlos Tavares held different positions within the Renault Group. Tavares started his career at
Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
, at the age of 23, as a test-driving engineer in 1981. He was director of the
Renault Mégane The Renault Mégane (), also spelled without the acute accent as Megane, especially in languages other than French, and also known as the Renault Megavan for an LCV in Ireland, as the Renault Scala in Iran and as the Renault Mégane Grandcoupà ...
II project. Between 2004 and 2011, he worked for
Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...
, Renault's partner in the Renault–Nissan Alliance (now
Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance The Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance, originally known as the Renault–Nissan Alliance, is a French-Japanese strategic alliance between the automobile manufacturers Renault (based in Boulogne-Billancourt, Île-de-France, France), Nissan ( ...
), first as programme director and then as vice-president, product strategy and product planning. In 2005 Tavares was appointed executive vice-president, joining the board of directors. By 2009, he oversaw Nissan's presence in North and South America. By 2011, he moved back to Renault to become
chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...
, the number two executive under
Carlos Ghosn Carlos Ghosn (; ; ; , born 9 March 1954) is a businessman and former automotive executive. He was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Michelin, Michelin North America, chairman and CEO of Renault, chairman of AvtoVAZ, chairman and CEO of Nissan ...
, the chairman and chief executive officer of Renault and Nissan.Michael Stothard, Henry Foy
Peugeot taps former Renault executive Carlos Tavares as chief
''Financial Times'', November 25, 2013
Tavares had much in common with Ghosn, as both were "raised in Portuguese-speaking environments. Both went on to graduate from French Grandes Ecoles and - perhaps less surprisingly - both like fast cars." However, on 15 August 2013, Tavares said publicly that he wanted to become CEO at an automaker. It was said that Tavares was ambitious and sought more responsibilities at Renault, however, Ghosn was only four years older and had no plans to step aside soon. Reportedly, Ghosn demanded that Tavares apologize to staff for the gaffe and Tavares refused. Instead he resigned from Renault on 29 August 2013.


PSA Group

Tavares became CEO and chairman of the board of
Groupe PSA Peugeot S.A., trading as Groupe PSA () (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles under the Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhal ...
in 2014, replacing . During his tenure, he spearheaded cost-cutting measures and increased the company's market share in China, which returned Groupe PSA to profitability after several years of losses. In 2014,
DS Automobiles DS Automobiles is a French Luxury car, luxury-Premium segment, premium marque created in 2009. Formerly part of Automobiles Citroën, Automobiles Citroën S.A., DS has been a standalone brand ultimately owned by PSA Group, later Stellantis. The in ...
was established as a stand-alone brand under his leadership. As CEO, Tavares garnered praise for PSA's acquisition of
Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Gr ...
, for PSA's record sales and profits, and for Opel's subsequent return to profitability; however, PSA sales in China slipped. Furthermore, he led
PSA PSA, PsA, Psa, or psa may refer to: Biology and medicine * Posterior spinal artery * Primary systemic amyloidosis, a disease caused by the accumulation of abnormal proteins * Prostate-specific antigen, an enzyme used as a blood tracer for pro ...
into its merger with
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA), now part of Stellantis, was an Italian-American multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of Car, automobiles, commercial vehicles, List of auto parts, auto parts and production systems. ...
. In 2023, the Stellantis board approved nearly $40 million in compensation to Tavares. While overseeing the Jeep, Chrysler, and Peugeot major car brands, Tavares faced criticism over that level of compensation alongside statements he made about rising food and automobile costs; specifically, his discussions about inflation included suggestions that consumers should simply expect to pay more for things (e.g., for "more expensive burgers") as a result of inflationary pressures.


Stellantis

In January 2021,
PSA Group Peugeot S.A., trading as Groupe PSA () (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles unde ...
merged with
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA), now part of Stellantis, was an Italian-American multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of Car, automobiles, commercial vehicles, List of auto parts, auto parts and production systems. ...
to form
Stellantis Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automaker formed in 2021 through the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of the Italian–American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group, PSA (Peugeot S.A.) Group. The company's hea ...
where he became its first CEO. At the Stellantis first press conference, Tavares said he planned to save 5 billion euros a year by way of investments, engine and platform sharing and development. He also announced that he wanted to relaunch the most fragile brands which could benefit from new investments. During the
2022 French presidential election Presidential elections were held in France on 10 and 24 April 2022. As no candidate won a majority in the first round, a Two-round system, runoff was held, in which Emmanuel Macron defeated Marine Le Pen and was re-elected as President of France. ...
, incumbent President
Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...
and opposing candidate
Marine Le Pen Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen (; born 5 August 1968) is a French lawyer and politician of the far-right National Rally, National Rally party (RN). She served as the party's president from 2011 to 2021, and ran for the French presidency in ...
both called Tavares' 2021 compensation package "shocking". The package was around 19 million euros ($20.5 million), plus a stock package worth some additional 32 million euros and long-term compensation of about 25 million euros. As the CEO, Tavares has raised concerns of an "invasion" from Chinese EV companies and, along with the American carmaker
Tesla Tesla most commonly refers to: * Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), a Serbian-American electrical engineer and inventor * Tesla, Inc., an American electric vehicle and clean energy company, formerly Tesla Motors, Inc. * Tesla (unit) (symbol: T), the SI-d ...
, are offering more affordable models compared to their European competitors. From 2021 to 2022, the European market share of Chinese EV manufacturers doubled to almost 9%. At the end of September 2024, the Stellantis board of directors launched a procedure to prepare his succession even though his mandate ran until 2026. On 1 December 2024, Tavares abruptly resigned as CEO, and the board accepted his resignation; a new interim executive committee, chaired by John Elkann, was established to identify a new CEO. Under Tavares's leadership, Stellantis's net profits fell 70% in 2024 and stock value fell by over 50% from its early 2024 peak, while its North American and European market share shrank by 5%.


Other activities


Racing

Tavares was an amateur racing driver since the age of twenty-two. In 1983, he started driving in rallies and endurance races with friends Bruno Cébile (as co-driver) and Arnaud Montagné (as technical assistant), and as such, they participated in the
Monte-Carlo Rally The Monte Carlo Rally or Rallye Monte-Carlo (officially Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo) is a rallying event organized each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. From its inception in 1911 by Prince Albert I, the rally was intended to demonstra ...
. In 2014—with Jean-Louis Dauger, Denis Gibaud, and Jérôme Maudet—Tavares won the A2 class of the Barcelona 24 Hours in a ''Peugeot RCZ Cup'' of the Milan Competition racing group. In addition, Tavares runs his own team, ''Clementeam Racing'', named in recognition of his daughter.


Boards

Tavares has been a member of various
boards of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...
, including of: *
Faurecia Forvia SE (stylized in all-uppercase), formerly Faurecia SE, is a French global automotive supplier headquartered in Nanterre, in the western suburbs of Paris. In 2022 it was the 7th largest international automotive parts manufacturer in the worl ...
(between 2014 and 2019); *
Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...
(between 2016 and 2022); and *
Total Total may refer to: Mathematics * Total, the summation of a set of numbers * Total order, a partial order without incomparable pairs * Total relation, which may also mean ** connected relation (a binary relation in which any two elements are comp ...
(between 2017 and 2020).


Awards and recognition

In 2019, Tavares won the 'Manager of the Year' award at the 15th edition of BFM Awards. Later, in 2020, he was given the award of 'World Car Person of the year'. In 2022, Tavares was chosen as the 'Eurostar' for Group CEO by Automotive News Europe.


Personal life

Tavares is married and father of three daughters. He collects classic cars, including a ''
Porsche 912 The Porsche 912 is a sports car produced by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany, for the 1965 through 1969 model years. An entry-level variant of the Porsche 911 (classic), 911, it was also offered in compact 2+2 (car body style), 2+2 Coupé and Targ ...
'' from 1966, an ''
Alpine A110 The Alpine A110 is a sports car produced by French automobile manufacturer Alpine from 1963 to 1977. The car was styled as a " berlinette", which in the post-WWII era refers to a small enclosed two-door berline, better-known as a coupé. The A ...
'' from 1976, and a ''Peugeot 504 V6 Coupé'' from 1979. Tavares is also known to be close to the former
Prime Minister of Portugal The prime minister of Portugal (; ) is the head of government of Portugal. As head of government, the prime minister coordinates the actions of ministers, represents the Government of Portugal to the other bodies of state, is accountable to Ass ...
José Sócrates José Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa (born 6 September 1957), commonly known as José Sócrates (), is a Portuguese politician who was the prime minister of Portugal from 12 March 2005 to 21 June 2011. For the second half of 2007, he acted ...
. File:Carlos Tavares au Spa Classic 2019.jpg, Carlos Tavares at the Spa Classic in 2019 File:Carlos Tavares Chantilly Arts & Elegance 2017.jpg, Carlos Tavares at the Chantilly Arts & Elegance in 2017 He has been a member of the jury at Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille in 2017 and 2019, an automobile elegance competition. After resigning from his role as Stellantis CEO, Tavares is reportedly living on a farm in Santarem, Portugal, making port wine. Besides the farm he owns a vineyard in the Douro valley and several hotels.


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tavares, Carlos 1958 births Living people Lycée Pierre-de-Fermat alumni École Centrale Paris alumni Portuguese businesspeople Renault people Stellantis people Portuguese chief executives 24H Series drivers Portuguese racing drivers Sportspeople from Lisbon Businesspeople from Lisbon Nürburgring 24 Hours drivers