Carlos Tavares

Carlos Antunes Tavares Dias (born 14 August 1958) is a Portuguese business executive, primarily in the automotive sector. He was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Stellantis 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 and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Earlier, he was chief operating officer (COO) at Renault.

Born Carlos Antunes Tavares Dias on 14 August 1958 in Lisbon, 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, 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 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 in 1981.

Carlos Tavares held different positions within the Renault Group. Tavares started his career at Renault, at the age of 23, as a test-driving engineer in 1981. He was director of the Renault Mégane II project.^[when?]

Between 2004 and 2011, he worked for Nissan, Renault's partner in the Renault–Nissan Alliance (now Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance), 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, the number two executive under Carlos Ghosn, the chairman and chief executive officer of Renault and Nissan. 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.

Tavares became CEO and chairman of the board of Groupe PSA in 2014, replacing Philippe Varin [fr]. 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 was established as a stand-alone brand under his leadership.

As CEO, Tavares garnered praise for PSA's acquisition of Opel and Vauxhall from General Motors, for PSA's record sales and profits, and for Opel and Vauxhall's subsequent return to profitability; however, PSA sales in China slipped. Furthermore, he led PSA into its merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.