Stellantis seeks new chief

Stellantis is hunting for a new chief executive officer after confirming Carlos Tavares will retire from the post at the end of his contract in early 2026 and announcing a number of senior management changes across the organisation.

The company, whose 14 brands include Chrysler, Citroen, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, Opel and Peugeot, is the world's fourth-largest carmaker by sales and plans to name a successor to Tavares by the fourth quarter of 2025.

Tavares, pictured, has led Stellantis since its creation through a 2021 merger between Fiat-Chrysler and Peugeot maker PSA, where he had been board chair since 2014, reports Reuters.

In other changes, Stellantis has appointed Antonio Filosa as its North America chief operating officer in addition to his role as Jeep brand chief executive officer, succeeding Carlos Zarlenga, whose future role remains uncertain.

Jean-Philippe Imparato becomes chief operating officer enlarged Europe, in addition to his role as chief executive officer of Pro One. He replaces Uwe Hochgeschurtz, who is leaving the company. 

Doug Ostermann, the former chief operating officer of its China division, has been named chief financial officer, replacing the outgoing Natalie Knight.

Elsewhere, Gregoire Olivier has been appointed chief operating officer China and remains the liaison officer to Leapmotor, and Santo Ficili is the new chief executive officer of Maserati and Alfa Romeo.

Tavares says: “During this Darwinian period for the automotive industry, our duty and ethical responsibility is to adapt and prepare ourselves for the future, better and faster than our competitors to deliver clean, safe and affordable mobility. 

“The newly appointed leadership team members will make their valuable contributions to our overall team’s determination to tackle the challenges ahead, reinforcing and accelerating our transformation to become the preferred mobility tech company.”