Stellantis has appointed the chief operating officer of the US operation to lead the European car maker from next month after a six month search.
Antonio Filosa will take over as CEO from June 23rd.
The board ousted previous CEO Carlos Tavares suddenly back in December last year after disagreements on strategy. The company saw a significant drop in revenue of 17% in 2024 and total sales declined by 15% to 1.5 million units. The downturn was particularly pronounced in the United States, where sales were down by 15%.
Filosa previously led Stellantis in both North and South America. During his time as Chief Operating Officer of South America, he took the Fiat brand to the market leading position and then significantly grew the Peugeot, Citroën, Ram, and Jeep brands. He was promoted to the role of Chief Operating Officer, Americas, in December 2024, where he has significantly reduced excessive dealer inventory, reorganized the leadership team and increased dialogue with dealers, unions and suppliers.
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John Elkann will continue in his role as Executive Chairman when Filosa takes up his position and announces a new leadership team.
“Antonio’s deep understanding of our Company, including its people who he views as our core strength, and of our industry equip him perfectly for the role of Chief Executive Officer in this next and crucial phase of Stellantis’ development,” said Elkann. “I have worked closely with Antonio over the past six months during which time his responsibilities have increased, and his strong and effective leadership spanning both North and South America at a moment of unprecedented challenge have confirmed the excellent qualities he brings to the role.”
“The appointment of Antonio Filosa to lead Stellantis opens a new and important chapter for our company,” said Nicolas Dufourcq, CEO of the Banque Publique d’Investissement (Bpifrance). “At a moment of transformation for the global automotive industry, Filosa has the knowledge, the experience, and the talent to lead Stellantis to new successes.”
“It is my great honor to be named the CEO of this fantastic Company,” said Filosa. “We have the world’s best and most iconic brands in automotive history and an over 100-year heritage of innovation. That legacy, combined with our relentless dedication to giving our customers the products and services they love, will continue to be key to our success.”
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