Alain Dassas
Alain Dassas | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 5, 1946 Paris, France |
| Occupation | Executive |
| Known for | Contributions to Renault-Nissan Alliance, President of Renault F1 Team (2006–2007), CFO of Nissan (2007–2009) |
Alain Dassas () (born 5 August 1946) is a French executive recognized for his influential contributions to the establishment of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. He was responsible for negotiating significant agreements for the Renault F1 Team and held the position of President from 2006 until 2007.
Early career and education
Born in Paris on 5 August 1946, Dassas completed his education with a degree from the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris, followed by a postgraduate qualification in econometrics at the University of Paris, and a Master’s degree in Management from Stanford University. He began his professional journey at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York in 1973 and later occupied senior positions within various financial institutions across France and the United States.
Renault
Dassas joined Renault in 1983 to manage its financial operations based in New York. By 1986, he had advanced to Chief Operating Officer of Société Financière et Foncière, Renault’s financial services subsidiary, overseeing banking and market finance relations. In 1990, he assumed the role of Financial Director at Renault Crédit International. His promotion to Vice President of Financial Operations came in 1997, during which he was instrumental in negotiating strategic partnerships with Volvo, the AvtoVAZ joint venture, as well as acquisitions involving Dacia and Renault Samsung Motors, alongside facilitating the Nissan alliance. He became Senior Vice President of Finance in 2001 and was appointed to Renault’s board of directors in 2003. In 2010, Dassas shifted to a consultancy capacity.
Renault F1
Dassas played a pivotal role in Renault’s purchase of Benetton Formula in 2000, leading to the creation of the Renault F1 Team. He was responsible for critical financial negotiations with Formula One CEO Bernard Ecclestone. On 3 April 2006, he took over as President of Renault F1 from Patrick Faure. During his tenure, the team secured both constructors' and drivers' championships in 2006. However, following a downturn in performance during 2007, Dassas stepped down on 4 September that year and was succeeded by Bernard Rey.
Nissan
In 1999, Dassas joined the board of directors at Nissan Diesel. On 4 September 2007, he was named Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Nissan, effective from 17 September, filling a vacancy that had persisted for four years. His primary objective was to reinforce financial leadership and address the company’s falling stock price.
On 5 October 2009, Nissan announced that Dassas would resign from his CFO position on 1 December to return to France.
Beyond Renault-Nissan alliance
By 2010, Dassas had taken on the role of CFO at Segula Technologies. He also holds a board membership and oversees European operations for the investment firm Strategic Initiatives.
Moreover, he acts as an independent supervisory board member representing APG (ABP Fund) at Altarea SCA.