New Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa to keep North America oversight, work from Auburn Hills
Stellantis NV's new CEO officially began his new role Monday by making limited changes to the transatlantic automaker's senior leadership and indicating a significant shift stateside in the company's center of gravity.
Antonio Filosa will continue to manage directly the automaker's North American operations and oversee its traditional U.S. brands - Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram - from Auburn Hills, Michigan. The move could signal a change in focus to profit-rich North America from Europe, where predecessor Carlos Tavares was based.
"That's good for our industry, and good for Michigan," said Glenn Stevens, executive director of MichAuto, the automotive arm of the Detroit Regional Chamber, of Filosa's decision to keep his office in the state.
Filosa's 12-member top executive team - and four other leaders who are not part of the team but will report directly to him - are mostly familiar faces at the top of the company. Two top executives are leaving: Béatrice Foucher, the chief planning officer, and Maxime Picat, who had overseen several parts of the company and had been an internal candidate in the running for CEO alongside Filosa.
Filosa had already been in charge of the North American region since late last year as Stellantis sought to turn around slumping sales here. Now, he'll continue that focus alongside his CEO duties.
The decision to remain in Michigan is a major shift from Tavares, who was based in Europe, where the company also maintains a large footprint of offices and plants. The automaker's legal headquarters are in the Netherlands, and it has deep roots in Italy and France. Under the former CEO, the Portuguese-born Tavares, the balance of power increasingly shifted in the European direction.
The United Auto Workers, U.S. dealers, and other interest groups raised concerns last year about whether the carmaker was gradually withdrawing from Metro Detroit and its investments in the U.S. market despite the region's ability to generate profits.
Not now. Filosa's plans appear to acknowledge the importance of the United States and the surrounding region to the company's success. He has been working to turn around U.S. sales that fell 15% last year and 12% in the first quarter of this year, with some early progress.
North America remains critical to the company's overall business. Even amid falling sales and other major operational problems last year, the region generated about a third of Stellantis' adjusted operating income, more than Europe or any other region, and it booked about 40% of the company's revenues.
Stevens said it made sense for Filosa to remain based in Michigan for several reasons: the region's financial importance to the carmaker, proximity to key political leaders amid current tariffs and trade disruptions, and the ability to maintain crucial relationships with suppliers and dealers. Ninety-seven of the top 100 suppliers for the North American market are headquartered or have a presence in Michigan, for example.
"You're in the epicenter for automotive for North America," Stevens said, "and one of the epicenters for the world."
Stellantis announced 12 other members who will make up its senior leadership team under Filosa:
-Chief Financial Officer Doug Ostermann adds mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures to his responsibilities. The automaker's top finance executive, Ostermann will continue to be based in Auburn Hills.
-Jean-Philippe Imparato continues his role overseeing the company's European region and brands, which will now include luxury brand Maserati. The brand was previously managed separately from any region.
-Emanuele Cappellano joins the leadership team as head of South America and will also oversee Stellantis Pro One, the automaker's commercial vehicle division.
-Philippe de Rovira will head "Rest of World," which includes the automaker's sales and operations in the Middle East and Africa, as well as its China, India and the Asia-Pacific region. He will also retain his responsibility over Stellantis Financial Services.
-Davide Mele joins the leadership team to oversee product planning.
-Ned Curic will continue his leadership of product development and technology.
-Sébastien Jacquet, who was appointed as quality chief earlier this month, formally will join the company's senior leadership team.
-Monica Genovese will be head of purchasing.
-Scott Thiele will take a new role as head of supply chain, bringing together activities previously under the company's planning and manufacturing areas.
-Arnaud Deboeuf will continue to head manufacturing.
-Xavier Chéreau will continue to lead human resources and sustainability.
-Clara Ingen-Housz joins the senior leadership team as head of corporate affairs and communications.
Four others are not on the top leadership team but will report directly to the CEO. They are Ralph Gilles, who oversees design; Olivier François, who heads marketing; Alison Jones, who is over parts and services, and circular economy; and Giorgio Fossati as general counsel. Richard Palmer, a former finance chief for the automaker who had helped in the transition to a new CEO, will stay on as a strategic adviser.
Filosa said in a statement that his updated leadership team has a "profound understanding of our brands, our products and our customers, best-in-class expertise and an entrepreneurial spirit that will be vital to our success," and the aim is to "make Stellantis one of the winners" in the next era for the auto industry.
Filosa's reshuffled organization will be tasked with helping him steady the automaker and chart a comeback. Beyond its recent sales and profit issues, the company has been grappling with other headwinds in recent months, from tariffs to shifting emissions policies under President Donald Trump.
Stellantis announced Filosa's appointment as CEO in late May following a six-month search. The hunt for a new leader started after Tavares resigned suddenly in December amid falling sales and after the company issued a profit warning. Tavares had led the company since the merger of PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles that created Stellantis in 2021.
Filosa was an internal hire, having spent 25 years with Stellantis and its predecessor companies. He rose through the ranks from a paint shop quality supervisor at a plant in Spain, to more recently overseeing the South American region, then the Jeep brand, then North America, and finally heading the Americas at large and quality issues.
Randy Dye, who owns a Florida Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram dealership, said he's thrilled not only that Filosa was selected as CEO, but that he plans to maintain a personal focus on North America. Filosa is familiar with the quirks of car sales in the United States, the dealer said, and how they vary from Europe. He's also a "manufacturing guy" who can help improve the carmaker's quality and increase factory efficiency.
"This isn't a magic wand," said Dye, who serves on the national Stellantis dealer council. "But in my time being able to speak with him, I'm impressed."
Since his appointment, Filosa has visited with employees at a number of the automaker's facilities around the world. Recently he was at the Windsor Assembly Plant for a Chrysler 100th anniversary celebration, and he also stopped at key Michigan facilities earlier this month, including the Detroit Assembly Complex's Jefferson North facility and the Sterling Stamping Plant, the company has said.
Filosa's contract term will run for five years. His earnings could top $10 million this year, a filing from the automaker shows. That is below Tavares' pay package, which last year tallied about $24 million. The former CEO was also awarded a combined $12.5 million as part of his separation.
The Filosa compensation package, set to be officially confirmed at a July 18 extraordinary general meeting, includes a $1.8 million base salary and other performance incentives, along with tax equalization benefits, participation in the company's U.S. health care plan, and fringe benefits like use of the company aircraft and personal security. He will have the potential for larger bonuses later in the five-year term, which could lift total compensation above $20 million.
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