• Country: Luxembourg
  • Name: Gerhard Kuntschik, President of the Jury Country: Austria Capital: Vienna Population: 9,097,759 Auto Park: 240.000 new registrations (2021)
  • Name: Xavier Daffe Country: Belgium Capital: Bruxelles Population: 11,239,755 Auto Park: 5,9 millions
  • Name: Ilia Seliktar, Honorary President of the Jury and Co-Founder member of the board Country: Bulgaria Capital: Sofia Population: 6,856,602 Auto Park: 2.5 million, year import and registration of new cars - 35 000, second hand - 250 000. Name: Leonid Seliktar Country: Bulgaria Capital: Sofia Population: 6,856,602 Auto Park: 350,000 new vehicles.
  • Name: Ozren Adamović Country: Croatia Capital: Zagreb Population: 3,88 million Auto Park: 1,968,370
  • Name: Petros Soutzis, Co-founder & Vice President of the jury Country: Cyprus Capital: Nicosia Population: 1,141,166 Auto Park: 900,000
  • Name: Vladimir Rybecky Country: Czech Republic Capital: Prague Population: 10 515 669 Auto Park: 6 293 125 registered cars (average age 15,58), 610 405 registered light commercial vehicles, 186 905 registered trucks, 20 489 registered buses (end of the year 2021). Registrations in 2021: 206 876 new cars, 19 660 new LCVs, 8 679 new trucks, 1 367 buses. Car production in 2021: cars 1 105 223, trucks 1 262, buses 4 947.
  • Name: Mikkel Thomsager Country: Denmark Capital: Copenhagen Population: 5,700,000 Auto Park: 2,278,000
  • Country: Finland
  • Country: France
  • Name: Ioannis Stavropoulos Country: Greece Capital: Athens Population: 10,815,197 Auto Park: 5.200.000 cars, exclude taxi (is about 34.000) LCV and HCV
  • Name: Robert van Ginneken Country: Holland Capital: Amsterdam Population: 17,5 million Auto Park: 9 million of which 400.000 BEV and 145.000 PHEV
  • Name: Gábor Szécsényi Country: Hungary Capital: Budapesta Population: 9,617,512 Auto Park: 4,000,000
  • Name: Achim Stahn Country: Germany Capital: Berlin Population: 83,000,000 Auto Park: 47,700,000
  • Name: Dave Humphreys Country: Ireland Capital: Dublin Population: 6,378,000 Auto Park: 2,515,322
  • Name: Alessio Viola Country: Italy Capital: Rome Population: 60,795,612 Auto Park: 36,900,000
  • Name: Krumislav Barzov Country: Macedonia Capital: Skopje Population: 2,058,539 Auto Park: 400,000
  • Name: Anthony Alfred Darmanin Country: Malta Capital: Valletta Population: 425,000 Auto Park: 410,000 Registered vehicles, approx. 10,000 new vehicles registered each year
  • Name: David Andersen Country: Norway Capital: Oslo Population: 5,136,700 Auto Park: 3 milion
  • Name: Szczepan Mroczek Country: Poland Capital: Warsaw Population: 37,773,915 Auto Park: 25,000,000
  • Name: José Caetano Country: Portugal Capital: Lisbon Population: 10,347,892 Auto Park: 4,480,000
  • Name: Dan Vardie, Founder & Chairman Country: Romania Capital: Bucharest Population: 19,237,691 Auto Park: 8,9 millions
  • Name: Suspended – Petr Menshikh Country: Russia Capital: Moscow Population: 143,975,923
  • Name: Mladen Alvirović Country: Serbia Capital: Belgrad Population: 7,209,764 Auto Park: 2,200,000
  • Name: Rudolf Karpat, Co-founder Country: Slovakia Capital: Bratislava Population: 5,415,949 Auto Park: 2,725,538 Name: Michal Karpat Country: Slovakia Capital: Bratislava Population: 5,5 milion Auto Park: 3,436.018 cars and LCV registered , 2021 sales: 75.700 cars and LCV
  • Country: Slovenia
  • Name: Joan Dalmau Country: Spain Capital: Madrid Population: 46,786,605 Auto Park: 29.9 million vehicles
  • Name: Felix Björklund Country: Sweden Capital: Stockholm Population: 10,23 million Auto Park: 4,887,904
  • Name: Markus Rutishauser Country: Switzerland Capital: Bern Population: 8,306,200 Auto Park: 4,503,339
  • Name: Okan Altan Country: Turkey Capital: Ankara Population: 85 million Auto Park: 25,385,084 (End of 2022, February)
  • Name: Richard Aucock Country: United Kingdom Capital: London Population: 64,511,000 Auto Park: 37,000,000
  • Name: Oleg Vasylevskyi Country: Ukraine Capital: Kiev Population: 42,031,000 Auto Park: 10,950,000 cars and commercial vehicles

Dan Vardie, Founder & Chairman RomaniaRomania

Personal Information

03.02.1964, Bucharest, Romania.

Country Represented

Romania. Population: 19,942,642.

Member of Autobest Jury

Founder & Chairman of AUTOBEST since 2000

Car Park

6,270,615 vehicles.

Career

Occupation

Founder & Chief Editorial Officer of AUTOpro, 4 X 4 Crossover Lifestyle magazine, CAESAR and TEMPORIS

Motoring Media Career:

• December 1993 – Launched “AUTOpro” car magazine, the first Romanian modern magazine after Berlin wall fall. Today is the long lasting modern magazine of Romania, the most respected, sought after and modern automotive media brand of Romania. In December 2015, AUTOPro was the first car magazine in the world coming with a new editorial concept focused on the new disruptive 4 megatrends –defined by Dan Vardie as a first back then- green, connected, autonomous, sharing.
• April 2000 – Launched “AUTOSHOW” , the first Romanian modern fortnightly car magazine
• Mai 2001 – Launched “4 X 4 Crossover Lifestyle magazine”. The first European concept for a media content merging SUV/ crossover world with outdoor activities and products
• December 2003 – launched CAESAR magazine, the first Romanian & Central Europe luxury magazine about luxury universe.
• May 2005 – Launched Romanian edition of “Quattroruotte”, the only joint ventures company established by Editoriale Domus outside Italy
• May 2008- launched TEMPORIS magazine, on original, genuine watch media concept –on and off line- about the watch universe.
• December 2008 – “AUTOSHOW” and Romanian “Quattroruotte” magazines been sold to Burda Germany, the only transaction in the Romanian motoring media, when a German company paid for a media acquisition.
• May 2014 – AUTO NEWS Host at EUROPA FM, a daily show at the most popular radio network. AUTONEWS is a part of a daily afternoon program, no 1 in audience in Romania. These radio activities were coming after successful other radio programs in the past such as “AUTOSHOW” at PRO FM and “AUTO Pro FM Club.” Producer of several TV car related news and shows.

Awards and Nominations / Professional Performances:

• Mai 1996 – Founding President of APAR – The Romanian Motoring Press Association. Honorary Chairman of APAR since 2001
• December 1998 – Founder of the “Romanian Car of the Year”. Since 2005 President of the Organization Committee and the Jury.
• May 2000- Founder of “The 4 x 4 SUV of Romania”, “The 4 x 4 Off Roader of Romania” and “The 4 x 4 Pick up of Romania” competition reserved to vote the SUV’s of the year. Later was introduced “The 4 x 4 SUV Premium of Romania”
• September 2000 – Founder and Chairman of “AUTOBEST” Association.
• Since 2008 – Member of International Engine of the Year Jury, representing Romania.
• Winner of several national professional awards, being elected for several years as `The Best Romanian Automotive Journalists`

Statement

We are preparing for the next year the 20-th Anniversary of AUTOBEST. In these two decades, AUTOBEST became the largest independent motoring media in Europe and in the world by the number of countries represented – 31! The `AUTOBEST- Best Buy Car of Europe` award is the most important automotive accolade, addressing to more than 80% of the European car consumers. AUTOBEST Jury is the world champion in exploring the new frontiers of mobility, the first independent motoring media organization in the world who clearly stated the future of EV’s- pls see the AUTOBEST Credo released on February 1, 2017- and asking the right question about `how we produce the electricity on board of the automobile?` AUTOBEST with the other prizes – including the newest one `The Future is Here` - and other projects- ECOBEST Challenge, AUTOBEST SUMMIT Series, AUTOBEST Charity Fund, Miss A & Mr B cartoon personages, and many other initiatives- is the most complex and relevant independent motoring media organization in the world. We see many of our ideas, awards and initiatives becoming a source of inspiration for other colleagues and media organizations, which we see it as a compliment and confirmation of our creative work. We are very proud about our AUTOBEST Awards Gala, the key global event of the motoring media industry today. The latest edition of this February in Mainz, Germany, was another proof about our way of helping many millions of car consumers to be correctly informed about the key achievements of the industry and how to interpret the disruptive future. We call it `The AUTOBEST way`!