The speakers
Katrin Adt
Katrin Adt, holding a law degree from the universities of Göttingen and Coimbra, began her career at Daimler AG in 1999 and has since held a series of strategic leadership roles across network development, global sales strategy, human resources and general management.
From 2010 to 2013, she served as CEO of Mercedes-Benz Luxembourg, before being appointed Vice President HR Development & Services in 2014. In this role, she led the company-wide transformation initiative Leadership 2020, aimed at reshaping Daimler’s leadership culture and organizational agility. In 2018, she was named CEO of Smart, where she oversaw the brand’s transition to an all-electric product portfolio and negotiated the creation of a joint venture with Geely Group in China.
From 2019 to 2023, Katrin Adt has headed the Mercedes-Benz Cars Own Retail Europe division, managing the group’s direct retail operations for passenger cars and vans across the European market. Since May 2023, as VP Corporate Audit Mercedes-Benz Group reporting to the CEO and Board, she has led global audit and internal investigations, introduced a data-driven and risk-oriented audit approach.
With over 26 years of experience in the automotive industry, she is widely recognized for her expertise in change management, commercial strategy and international leadership.
On September 1st, 2025, Katrin Adt joins the Leadership Team of Renault Group as CEO of Dacia brand, where she is responsible for further advancing Dacia’s mission to deliver a smart, affordable, essential and forward-looking mobility offering.
David Durand
Durand, 49, is a graduate of the École supérieure de design Strate Collège in Paris. He began his career at Renault Group in 1997 as an exterior designer. He was entrusted with the creation of the Koleos concept car in 1999 and Ellipse in 2002.
From 2002 to 2009, David Durand worked in satellite design centers in Barcelona (Spain), Seoul (South Korea) and Sao Paulo (Brazil). With this international experience, he was appointed Global Access design range director in 2011. He then contributed to the Design to Cost and the success of the Dacia brand.
In 2020, he became Dacia’s exterior Design Director and contributed to the design of the Bigster Concept, which embodies the brand’s evolution.
On May 11, David Durand is appointed Dacia brand design director and joined the Dacia & LADA business unit’s Management Committee.