4
François Provost
Chief Executive Officer
2025 – Present
1 year (current)
Legacy
Renault's former head of procurement and partnerships; became CEO on July 31, 2025 after Luca de Meo left for Kering.
Renault S.A.
Automotive ManufacturingFounded 1899- HQ today: Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026
Leadership History
Renault: CEO History
4 leaders · 1992 to present
Who is the CEO of Renault?
François Provost is the CEO of Renault, in the role since 2025. The first chief executive was Louis Schweitzer, from 1992.
- Current CEO
- François Provost (since 2025)
- First CEO
- Louis Schweitzer (1992)
- Leaders documented
- 4
- Founded
- 1899
| Name | Role | From | To | Years in role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| François Provost | Chief Executive Officer | 2025 | Present | 1 |
| Luca de Meo | CEO | 2020 | 2025 | 5 |
| Carlos Ghosn | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | 2005 | 2019 | 14 |
| Louis Schweitzer | Chairman and CEO | 1992 | 2005 | 13 |
- Who was CEO of Renault before François Provost?
- Luca de Meo was CEO of Renault from 2020 to 2025, before François Provost took over in 2025.
Company Overview
Renault Group is France's largest-volume carmaker and one of Europe's leading mass-market manufacturers. It sold about 2.34 million vehicles worldwide in 2025 through Renault, Dacia and Alpine, plus mobility and financing services. Its strength is compact cars, SUVs and vans such as the Clio, Captur, Sandero, Duster, Trafic and Master. Its newer electric range includes the Renault 5, Renault 4 and Alpine A290. The French State and Nissan are its largest shareholders, each holding about 15%. The company is headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
3
Luca de Meo
CEO
2020 – 2025
5 years
Key Decisions & Impact
de Meo became CEO in 2020 and launched the 'Renaulution' strategic plan in 2021, deliberately cutting low-margin fleet and daily-rental sales to prioritize profit per vehicle over sales volume, while renegotiating the Nissan alliance to give Renault more operating independence and relaunching the Alpine brand around performance and EVs.
Legacy
By the time de Meo left in 2025 to become CEO of Kering (Gucci's parent company), Renaulution had delivered three consecutive years of revenue growth, with successor Francois Provost publicly calling it 'clearly a success story' and Alpine registrations more than doubling in 2025 alone -- though the strategy's full payoff continued to play out under his successor. Before joining Renault, de Meo had run Seat within the Volkswagen Group, giving him direct experience turning around a struggling mass-market European brand that the board viewed as directly relevant to Renault's own need for margin discipline after years of prioritizing volume over profitability.
2
Carlos Ghosn
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
2005 – 2019
14 years
Key Decisions & Impact
Ghosn became chief executive of Renault in 2005 while also leading Nissan, and added the chairmanship in 2009.
Legacy
He launched the low-cost Logan range and the Zoe electric car. He was arrested in Tokyo in November 2018 and resigned from Renault in January 2019.
1
Louis Schweitzer
Chairman and CEO
1992 – 2005
13 years
Key Decisions & Impact
Schweitzer served as Chairman and CEO from 1992 to 2005, leading Renault's privatization starting in 1996 -- ending decades of state ownership -- and negotiating the 1999 alliance with Nissan, one of the auto industry's largest cross-border manufacturing partnerships, while overseeing the Twingo and Scenic model lines and the low-cost Logan that later anchored the Dacia brand.
Legacy
The Nissan alliance Schweitzer built became central to Renault's scale and technology-sharing for the next two decades, and the Dacia relaunch he set in motion grew into a brand contributing roughly 30% of Group vehicle sales by 2025, a lasting structural legacy of his tenure. He also served as the company's non-executive chairman for a period after stepping down as CEO in 2005, maintaining institutional continuity as Carlos Ghosn took over as president and CEO leading the day-to-day Renault-Nissan operational alliance he had negotiated.
Challenges & Strategic Context
Renault faces European market pressure, EV affordability challenges, Chinese competition, CO2 regulation, software and battery cost pressure, alliance complexity, and Nissan-related volatility.
Renault CEO and Leadership FAQ
Who have been the primary Chief Executive Officers in Renault's modern history?
Key executive leaders in Renault's history include Louis Schweitzer (1992 to 2005), Carlos Ghosn (2005 to 2018), Jean-Dominique Senard (Chairman, 2019, present), and transformative then-CEO Luca de Meo (2020, present, succeeded by executive transitions including François Provost).
What was Louis Schweitzer's foundational impact as CEO of Renault (1992 to 2005)?
Louis Schweitzer privatized Renault in 1996, spearheaded the visionary 1999 acquisition of Nissan and Romania's Dacia, founded the Renault-Nissan Alliance, and launched well-known models like the Renault Twingo, Megane, and Scenic.
What was the rise and dramatic fall of Carlos Ghosn at Renault and the Alliance?
Carlos Ghosn ('Le Cost Killer') served as CEO of Nissan and Renault, building the Alliance into a 10-million-vehicle global giant and launching early mass-market EVs (Nissan Leaf, Renault Zoe). His tenure ended abruptly in November 2018 following his arrest in Tokyo over financial misconduct allegations and subsequent dramatic escape to Lebanon.
Who is Luca de Meo and how did he execute the historic 'Renaulution' turnaround?
Appointed CEO in July 2020 when Renault faced historic ~$9.04 billion (€8 billion) losses, Italian automotive executive Luca de Meo (former President of SEAT and architect of the Fiat 500 revival) designed the 'Renaulution' plan: slashing ~$3.39B (€3B) in fixed costs, rebalancing the Nissan Alliance, creating Horse and Ampere, and returning Renault to record profit margins.
Who is Jean-Dominique Senard and what role did he play as Chairman of Renault?
Jean-Dominique Senard (former CEO of Michelin) became Chairman of Renault in January 2019 following the Ghosn crisis. Senard restored corporate governance, rebuilt diplomatic relations with the French Government and Nissan leadership, and established board stability.
How did leadership guide Renault through the exit from Russia in 2022?
Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022, Renault made the decisive, ethically necessary decision to sell its 68% stake in Russian automaker AvtoVAZ (Lada) and its Moscow factory to the Russian state for a symbolic 1 ruble with a 6-year buyback option, taking a ~$2.49B (€2.2B) writedown while protecting corporate governance.
What culture and leadership philosophy define Renault Group today?
Renault's leadership culture is centered on creative French design boldness, agile execution, industrial pragmatism, transparent governance, and a passionate belief that cars should be 'Voitures à vivre' (cars for living).
What is the strategic roadmap for Renault's executive leadership for 2030?
Leadership is dedicated to making Renault the most progressive European automotive company, achieving a 100% electric passenger car lineup in Europe by 2030, scaling Dacia's C-segment presence, and achieving full net-zero carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040.
Who is the current CEO of Renault Group?
Luca de Meo is the Chief Executive Officer of Renault Group, having served as CEO since July 2020.
What was Luca de Meo’s background before becoming CEO of Renault?
Luca de Meo is a celebrated European automotive executive who revitalized Fiat (launching the modern Fiat 500) and served as President of SEAT (Volkswagen Group), orchestrating the turnaround of the Spanish brand and creating the Cupra performance brand.
What turnaround achievements have defined Luca de Meo’s tenure at Renault?
De Meo launched the "Renaulution" plan, restructured the Nissan Alliance into an equal partnership, achieved record 7.9% operating margins, separated EVs (Ampere) and powertrains (Horse), and restored Renault to investment-grade profitability.
Who is Jean-Dominique Senard in Renault leadership?
Jean-Dominique Senard (former CEO of Michelin) serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Renault Group, bringing steady corporate diplomacy that repaired Franco-Japanese relations following the Carlos Ghosn crisis.
What was Carlos Ghosn’s complex legacy as CEO of Renault?
Carlos Ghosn led Renault from 2005 to 2019 (and Nissan from 2001), famous as "Le Cost Killer" who engineered the Nissan turnaround, integrated Dacia, and expanded the Alliance into the world’s largest automaker by volume before his 2018 arrest in Tokyo over financial misconduct allegations.
Who was Pierre Dreyfus in post-war Renault history?
Pierre Dreyfus served as CEO of nationalized Renault from 1955 to 1975, modernizing factory automation, expanding into global exports, and launching the beloved Renault 4, Renault 12, and Renault 16.
What was Louis Renault’s foundational leadership role?
Louis Renault led the company from its founding in 1898 until 1944, pioneering direct-drive transmissions, industrial mass production, and tanks during World War I.
What culture values define Renault leadership today?
Renault’s leadership culture under Luca de Meo is defined by agility, emotional design creativity, collaborative partnerships over insular pride, and rapid execution.
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