The Stellantis group has a new leader. , the second largest car group in Europe, announced this Wednesday to Antonio Filosa as his new CEO, replacing John Elkann, president of Stellantis, who had taken care of the executive functions of the group instead of. The company will propose the appointment of who since December had directed the company’s operations in the American continent at the next Extraordinary Shareholders Board, which will be convened in the next few days. “To grant full authority and guarantee an efficient transition, the Council has granted the faculties of Executive Director (CEO) as of June 23,” the company said in a statement, thus confirming the different versions that pointed it as the favorite in recent months.
Philose, which has been unanimously selected in the Council, will have the challenge of putting order in a manufacturer who had entered Barrena last year, with disastrous results in 2024, in which. Automobile, owner of brands such as Fiat, Jeep, Opel, Peugeot, Citroën or Ram, suffered a severe excess stock in its concessionaires in the US and lives a fall in its sales in the old continent, where you must face the hard competition both China and the rest of traditional manufacturers. In addition, brands such as Peugeot and Citroën recently lived the Puretech engines scandal, which has damaged the image of these firms due to the premature breakage of the transmission chains and the excess oil of these engines.
In turn, the manager will have the task of greasing the relations of the automobile giant with Italy, a country with which Tavares was openly faced-Elkann and Jean-philippe imparato, director of Stellantis’s operations in Europe, had already been in part of this task with the announcement of an investment of 2,000 million in the country. The predecessor of Philose had faced the Giorgia Meloni government on numerous occasions following the emptying of Italian plants, a country with a key weight in Stellantis not only for brands such as Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia, but also because the Agnelli family is the main shareholder of the company.
Stellantis has highlighted the role of Philose in recent months in the reorganization of the company’s operations in the US. Phenately, Philose was director of Stellantis’s operations in South America, where his work stands out by promoting Fiat in the region, as well as the growth of other brands of the company. “As a result, Stellantis reinforced her clear leadership in the region. His work in the creation of the Pernambuco plant, one of the largest automotive centers in South America, promoted the launch of Jeep in Brazil, which quickly became the leading market of the brand outside the US,” said the company.
“The deep knowledge of Antonio has of our company, including its employees, whom we consider our main strength, and of our sector, prepares it perfectly for the position of executive director in this next and crucial phase of the development of Stellantis,” said Elkann. “I have worked closely with Antonio during the last six months, a period in which his responsibilities have increased, and his solid and effective leadership, both in North America and in South America, at a time of unprecedented challenges, he has confirmed the excellent qualities he contributes to office. Together with the entire board of directors, I hope to work with him,” added the president of the company.
“It is a great honor for me to be appointed CEO (…) I thank our president, John Elkann, and the members of our Board of Directors for their leadership, especially in recent months, and the confidence they have deposited in me to direct our company during this crucial moment for our industry,” said Philose.
