Alliance Rostec Auto BV appoints Nicolas Maure as new CEO of Avtovaz

Alliance Rostec Auto BV has announced that Nicolas Maure will become CEO of Avtovaz effective April 4.

The joint venture between Renault-Nissan and Rostec State Corporation (Rostec), which oversees Avtovaz, also confirmed that Bo Inge Andersson will step down from the role on April 4.

Maure, 55, is currently managing director for Renault Group operations in Romania, where he is in charge of all commercial and industrial activities. He also serves as president and CEO of Automobile Dacia SA, one of the fastest growing car brands in Europe and the largest private company in Romania.

Before taking over operations in Romania, Maure was vice-president for Renault global manufacturing performance and a vice-president for Powertrain in the Renault-Nissan Alliance Purchasing Organisation. He has led teams in manufacturing, purchasing, quality and aftersales. He joined Renault in 2000 after working for automotive suppliers including Faurecia and Valeo.

"Avtovaz has modernised its lineup and manufacturing processes, and significantly improved product quality," said Carlos Ghosn, chairman of Avtovaz and also chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, which has a majority stake in Alliance Rostec Auto BV, the joint venture that controls Avtovaz. "With Nicolas Maure, we plan to continue on this strategy despite the short-term challenges, and we remain bullish about the long-term future of the Russian market and Avtovaz as the leading domestic automaker."

"In the past seven years, Avtovaz underwent major changes which significantly improved the quality of the vehicles, increased efficiency, and revitalised the model lineup," said Sergei Chemezov, CEO of the Rostec State Corporation (Rostec), which also owns a stake in the joint venture. "The objective today is to create a highly competitive product, increase Lada's market share in Russia, and to work deeply with Russian suppliers. In this regard, Avtovaz is a model of development for hundreds of companies across the country. We expect the new CEO to continue improvements and capably meet new challenges."

Outgoing CEO Andersson joined Avtovaz for a three-year term starting in 2013. Andersson continued the strategic turnaround of Avtovaz. He also focused on process modernisation, new product launches and technology transfers.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance has a majority stake in Alliance Rostec Auto BV, a holding company that controls Avtovaz. Renault, Nissan and Avtovaz's Lada brand build vehicles together in Togliatti and other plants throughout Russia.