Daradics starts her term with a five-year expansion plan worth EUR100 million. Moreover, in five years’ time, MOL could begin oil production in Romania.
“I first started working when I was 14 and I went to the US for the summer where I got a job in a call center. I have been working for MOL since 2003, first in the back office, after which I was promoted to group level where I handled management of fuel cards for commercial fleets. Then I moved on to coordinating the department’s strategies in nine countries where the MOL group is present, including Romania,” says Daradics, who in early May replaced Szabolcs Ferencz as CEO and country manager of MOL Romania.
Daradics becomes the second female CEO of an oil company in Romania, after Mariana Gheorghe, who has been running Petrom since 2006.
Working in an industry regarded until not long ago the preserve of men – the oil and gas business – Daradics says she is ready for the challenge and moreover comes with an ambitious expansion plan for MOL Romania over the next five years.
“If you’re in the big leagues, you have to play up to their standards,” she says. “If I had seen my being a woman as a hurdle in any way to being a CEO, I would not be here. The proposal came from the MOL group and I said yes. It is a different perspective from my past experience.”
Daradics’ plan for the next five years includes a significant expansion of the MOL Romania gas station chain, which currently counts 127 filling stations and has a market share of around 11%.
“MOL Romania is a company with very good results, and there is significant focus on consolidating local operations at group level. Over the next five years we will open 70 gas stations, and intend to reach a 15% market share.”
According to MOL Romania officials, most gas stations will be opened towards the end of the five-year period, generally through greenfield investments. Considering that the average investment in a gas station is around EUR1-1.5 million, MOL could invest around EUR100 million in this expansion, according to ZF estimations.