New Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosia officially takes lead of company
June 23 (UPI) -- New Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa officially took the helm of the Dutch automaker's Monday as he laid out a vision for the company and announced a new leadership team.
Filosa said in a statement that it was his "great privilege" to take the lead of the automaker, which he hailed as a "global company with deep regional roots."
"We have unique strengths in our great people, our iconic brands and our millions of customers, whose loyalty to our company, it's fantastic products and its unique stories can only inspire us to new achievements," he said.
Filosa, who previously served as chief operating officer of Stellantis Americas, will maintain his role as head of North America and North American brands, and announced his leadership team, including several other veterans of the company.
Ralph Gilles will serve as head of design, Olivier Francois will act as ehad of marketing, Alison Jones will lead parts and services and circular economy and Giorgio Fossati will serve as general counsel, all reporting directly to Filosa.
"The team I'm announcing today draws on all that is best in Stellantis, leaders from within who bring a people-first mindset, 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," Filosa said.
The former CEO, Carlos Tavares resigned in December and left the company with a 70% drop in net profit. Industry experts said Filosa will need to fix relationships with dealers, politicians, and employees in order to fix the damage left by the former CEO.
Industry experts also added that he will have to handle the company's plan on deciding to invest in traditional or 'electrified" automobile models.
"We need to manage the transition, right? It's not a secret that electric vehicles will be a strong part of the future, right? Not only for Stellantis, but for the automotive industry itself," said Filosa.
The company's franchised retailers were upset about the sales and market share losses under Tavarers. A letter by the Stellantis National Dealer Council was sent out in September disapproving of his actions.
"Your own distribution network, your dealer body, has been left in an anemic and diminished state," Kevin Farrish, a dealer in Virginia who led the council, wrote in the letter.
A dealer in Illinois Michael Bettenhaursen, who came after Farrish's leadership, spoke highly of Filosa.
"We need to mutually work together and dive into all the issues here in the North American operations, and we look forward to Antonio still being a part of those discussions," he said.
Former CEO Tavares said that FIlosa was a "logical choice". Since then, other current and former Stellantis executives have described Filosa as a "engaging leader" and "listener".
"I've worked side by side with him. ... We grew up under Sergio," Stellantis' global head of design, Ralph Gilles, said "He's a people person. He's a visionary, he's energized, he's young ... and he's curious. He's a great listener. I love his problem-solving abilities, and for me, he loves design."
The global sales of the company fell 12.3% under Tavares in 2021. The automaker also dropped from fourth in U.S. sales.
"We need to do that. It's not a belief; it's a need," Filosa said in January, stating his top priority for the U.S automobile industry. "The U.S. retail market share really measures your ability to organically grow sales".
"As we move into this next chapter of our Stellantis history, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to Maxime Picat and to Béatrice Foucher for their notable contributions to Stellantis during their many years of dedicated service. We all wish them the best in their future endeavors," Filosa concluded in his statement today.
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