Automobile Dacia S.A.
Leadership History
3 leaders · 2016 to present
Katrin Adt is the CEO of Dacia, in the role since 2025. The first chief executive was Yves Caracatzanis, from 2016.
| Name | Role | From | To | Years in role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Katrin Adt | Chief Executive Officer, Dacia brand; member of Renault Group Leadership Team | 2025 | Present | 1 |
| Denis Le Vot | Chief Executive Officer, Dacia brand | 2021 | 2025 | 4 |
| Yves Caracatzanis | Chief Executive Officer | 2016 | 2018 | 2 |
Dacia is the Romanian brand Renault Group uses to sell affordable, practical cars at scale. It has turned 'no frills' into a selling point: robust cars, short option lists, smartphone-based infotainment and prices well below mainstream rivals. That formula made it Europe's second-largest brand for private buyers in 2025 and the Sandero Europe's best-selling car two years running. The company is headquartered in Mioveni, Romania.
Dacia makes money by selling a short list of affordable cars, mostly to private buyers in Europe, through Renault Group's dealer network. Its 'design-to-cost' method sets a target price first and engineers to it: models share Renault's CMF-B platform, engines and hybrid systems, option lists are kept short to reduce factory complexity, and features most buyers do not use are left out. Volume comes from the Sandero and Duster, with the Bigster, Jogger, Logan and Spring EV filling out the range; parts, accessories such as the YouClip system and Mobilize financing add further income at group level.
Chief Executive Officer, Dacia brand; member of Renault Group Leadership Team
2025 – Present
1 year (current)
Adt aggressively managed Dacia's incredibly complex supply chain during the global semiconductor shortage, heavily prioritizing high-margin models like the Duster to protect profitability.
As a senior executive within the massive Renault Group, she ensures Dacia remains highly integrated with Renault's global manufacturing footprint.
Chief Executive Officer, Dacia brand
2021 – 2025
4 years
Le Vot completely overhauled Dacia's brand identity, ditching its 'cheap Eastern European' stigma in favor of a highly aggressive, rugged 'outdoor lifestyle' image to compete with Jeep.
As CEO, he successfully launched the highly anticipated 'Bigster' concept, pushing the traditionally ultra-cheap brand into the massive, higher-margin C-segment SUV market.
Chief Executive Officer
2016 – 2018
2 years
Caracatzanis oversaw the massive modernization of Dacia's historic Mioveni plant in Romania, heavily increasing automation to maintain the brand's incredibly low manufacturing costs.
He served as Managing Director during a period of massive European expansion, firmly establishing the Sandero as the absolute best-selling retail car in Europe.
Dacia's main challenges in 2026 are regulatory and competitive. EU CO2 fleet targets and the General Safety Regulation (GSR2) add equipment that pushes up the price of small cars, which CEO Katrin Adt has publicly criticised. Chinese brands doubled their European market share to 8.9% in the first half of 2026, many targeting the same price bracket. Dacia's European volumes fell 8.7% in the first half of 2026 to 284,021 units, while Tesla's Model Y closed in on the Sandero's top spot. Dacia also has to electrify its range without losing its price advantage.
Katrin Adt became CEO of Dacia on September 1, 2025. She previously worked at Mercedes-Benz, where she was a vice president, and is a member of Renault Group's Leadership Team.
Denis Le Vot led Dacia from 2021 until 2025. He oversaw the brand's new identity, the Jogger, the third-generation Duster and the Bigster before leaving Renault Group.
In 2026 interviews Katrin Adt said Dacia will build cars for its customers rather than to satisfy EU regulators, and argued that regulation accounts for a large share of recent car price increases in Europe.
Joining Renault in 1990, Denis Le Vot built a 30+ year global automotive career, serving as Chairman of Renault Russia, Senior Vice President of the Eurasia region, Chairman of Nissan North America, and Executive Vice President of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance B2B division.
Louis Schweitzer served as Chairman and CEO of Renault from 1992 to 2005. Schweitzer was the who orchestrated the 1999 acquisition of Dacia for $50 million, creating the major €5,000 'Logan project' that transformed Renault into a global automotive leader.
David Durand serves as Design Director of Dacia, having joined the brand in 2020 after senior design roles at Renault. Durand created Dacia's award-winning rugged design language, the Dacia Link logo, YouClip accessories, and the Manifesto concept car.
Mihai Bordeanu serves as Managing Director of Automobile Dacia and Country Head for Renault Group in Romania, managing national industrial operations, the Mioveni vehicle assembly plant, and government relations.
Automobile Dacia operates as a core brand unit within Renault Group's corporate governance, represented on Renault Group's Global Leadership Team while maintaining dedicated engineering, design, and commercial brand leadership.
Denis Le Vot serves as the CEO of the Dacia brand. He was aggressively appointed by Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo to execute the "Renaulution" strategy, heavily pushing Dacia to dominate the highly lucrative C-segment with larger SUVs like the Bigster.
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