Stellantis (STLA) , the multinational automaker that is the parent company of beloved American auto brands such as Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram Trucks, has been making some changes since it went through a trial by fire over the last few years.
Previously, the company that also ran European giants like Fiat, Maserati, Peugeot, and Citroën suffered from a stewing pot of issues that hurt its reputation among its loyal customers and fans. This left dealers with piles of unsold cars and lots of hate for a divisive CEO.
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Under the leadership of former CEO Carlos Tavares, the automaker experienced a great deal of turmoil, and in the latter months of 2024 alone, the automaker suffered through hell and back. Apart from its dealers having to get creative with inventory issues, targeted layoffs broke the hearts of loyal American factory workers, key executives and C-suite figures were moved around or said sayonara, and its brands were left to push products that American customers didn’t like.
Tavares left as Stellantis CEO in early December 2024, leaving the helm to Chairman John Elkann and an interim executive committee. Stellantis execs are pushing for a huge comeback on the customer side; however, more change is coming to the international C-suite.
Snow-covered Jeep vehicles parked outside a dealership in Edmonton, AB, Canada; the Jeep brand has a new leader.
Stellantis names new brand leaders in executive shakeup
In an announcement on February 3, Stellantis named new leaders for multiple brands. In an effort to simplify its corporate structure and speed up decision-making at the executive level. Among the changes are changes in leadership to one of its most prominent American names — Jeep — as well as some well-known names over the pond in Europe.
Bob Broderdorf, currently Jeep’s North American head, has been promoted to lead the Jeep brand globally.
In an interview with Motor1 on the floor of the Detroit Auto Show, Broderdorf credited the leadership of John Elkann, the Chairman and Stellantis’s interim leader, and Antonio Filosa, the head of Stellantis’ Americas region, for giving leaders like him what he described as “newfound energy” and “trust” in new and radical ideas.
“The words they used were ‘we trust you, we understand you know how to do this, you understand our audience, we’re going to give you the freedom to do that.’ And they’ve quickly allowed us to do that,” Broderdorf said. He also noted that major changes are coming to the brand and its offerings very soon.
“It’s going to be a pretty epic transformation. We are going to invest over three billion dollars in new products,” he said. “This is a fun brand. We going to go back to having fun, being adventurous. We’re going to make cool stuff that people will be proud of.”
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Apart from Broderdorf’s major promotion, former Volkswagen executive Alain Favey has been named to lead the French Peugeot brand, while Xavier Peugeot has been appointed to lead the DS brand, a luxury spinoff of the Citroën brand.
Stellantis is also making more institutional changes at the executive level to “allow for the right balance between regional and global responsibilities to enable speed of decision and execution,” and to “further reinforce Stellantis’ commitment to listening to the voice of the customer and lay the ground for renewed growth.”
The automaker notes that the brands have enhanced local decision-making and execution capabilities at a regional level when it comes to product planning, product development, as well as industrial and commercial activities.
In addition, its software activities are now integrated into a product development and technology organization led by Chief Engineering and Technology Officer Ned Curic. Stellantis Americas region head Antonio Filosa will also take on the role of Global Leader of Quality. At the same time, its corporate affairs and communications department will be combined and led by Clara Ingen-Housz.
It also created a new marketing office headed by Global Chief Marketing Officer Olivier Francois, which will help reorganize its advertising, global events and sponsorships.
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In a statement, Stellantis Chairman John Elkann noted that the changes build upon the initial restructuring they made after Tavares’ departure in December 2024, and that it should help them with their automotive mission.
“Building on the changes made in December, today’s announcements will further simplify our organization and increase our local agility and rigor of execution. We look forward to driving growth by providing our customers with an even larger choice of great combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles,” he said.
In addition, Stellantis said its process of appointing a new permanent CEO to fill the shoes formerly worn by Tavares is well underway. As per Stellantis, the search is managed by a Special Committee of the Board of Directors and will be concluded within the first half of 2025.
According to Automotive News, Stellantis Americas region head and newly named Quality leader Antonio Filosa is seen as a potential successor to Tavares.
Stellantis is currently run under the watchful eye of Chairman John Elkann, who leads a 10-member interim executive committee. Since Tavares’ departure, he has made strides to mend tattered relationships with governments, such as those in Italy and the U.S., unions, and dealerships, especially as it tries to play catchup on offering hybrid vehicles to respond to market demand.
Stellantis NV is traded under the ticker STLA on the New York Stock Exchange
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