When, in November 2015, he took the helm of Seat, the Spanish company - part of VAG - returned to profitability. A year later, it achieved the best financial results in its history. Under his leadership, the company is going through the period of the biggest product aggression in its history with the launch of four new models (Ateca, Leon, Ibiza and Arona) in 18 months.
This is the case of Seat's President Luca de Meo, who was awarded the Eurostars Award for CEO of the Year in the Automotive category by Automotive News Europe magazine. This is a recognition of his time at the helm of Seat during the period when the brand returned to profitability. The award will be presented on 11 September, coinciding with the start of the Frankfurt Motor Show.
With more than 25 years of experience in the automotive sector, Luca de Meo has been President of Seat since November 2015. His aggressive policy of expanding and renewing the range has seen sales increase by over 13% in 2017 compared to last year and makes SEAT one of the fastest growing brands in Europe.
Thus, after publishing the best financial results in its history in 2016, in the first half of this year the company's operating profit increased by 40.9%.
When informed of the award, the SEAT President pointed out: "I am deeply grateful. It is an honour to receive this distinction from such a prestigious magazine as Automotive News Europe and to join the list of prominent automotive executives who have received this recognition in recent years." Luca de Meo, who received the same award in 2007 and 2014 in the Sales & Marketing Executive category, underlined that "today's award would not have been possible without SEAT's outstanding team. What we are beginning to achieve is the result of our joint efforts to get the Brand to where it deserves to be."
His career
Born in Milan in 1967, Luca de Meo received his degree in Business Administration from the Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi. His thesis on business ethics was the first dissertation on this topic in Italy. He joined Volkswagen Group in 2009 as Marketing Director of Volkswagen and Volkswagen Group after starting his career at Renault, then he joined Toyota and then Fiat Group where he was in charge of the Lancia, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Abarth brands. In 2013, Harvard University devoted a case study to his work at Volkswagen Group as Marketing Director.
Thanks to his distinguished career, Luca de Meo received the honorary title of "Commendatore" from the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, one of the highest national distinctions. Currently, in addition to leading SEAT, he chairs the SEAT Metropolis:Lab Barcelona and is a member of the Ducati Board of Directors.
