Peugeot-Citroen PSA Group Chief Executive Officer, Carlos Tavares, has been named the winner of the 2020 World Car Person of the Year award at the 2020 World Car Awards in Toronto, Canada.
Mr Tavares will be presented with the prestigious award at next month's New York International Auto Show at a media breakfast held as part of the annual World Car Awards 2020 awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 8th, the show's opening day.
Among his accomplishments since joining PSA Group in 2014 Carlos Tavares has made its brands into respected world-class players, returned the company to profitability and returned Opel to profitability in record time.
He also negotiated a merger of PSA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), a group that will become the world's fourth-largest carmaker by volume. At the same time, Mr Tavares has been overseeing the integration of electrification and mobility within the group and strengthening market development in China and beyond.
His accomplishments over the past year raised him up as the jurors' choice over a number of impressive car industry executives, engineers, designers and entrepreneurs from all over the world.
Mr Tavares described his nomination and subsequent success in the awards as a "great honour" and one that he dedicated to the entire group.
"I wish to dedicate (the award) to all the employees of the Groupe PSA, to its responsible and demanding social partners and to the supervisory board which guarantees effective governance because among our values 'win together, agility and efficiency' includes the strength of the collective power,
"It is in the name of all of us that I accept your honour with humility," Mr Tavares said.
Mr Tavares was praised for his calm, dignified, modest and highly effective approach to business, his incredible business acumen and his understanding of customer needs.
The World Car Person of the Year award was inaugurated in 2003 and officially launched in January 2004 to recognise, reward and inspire excellence, leadership and innovation in a rapidly changing automotive industry while at the same time reflecting the reality of the global marketplace.
The World Car Awards voting panel comprises 86 jurors from 24 countries and voting is conducted by secret ballot.