Stellantis: Major brands, global reach, challenges for automaker
Explore the history of Stellantis, the automotive giant formed in 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group.
- Antonio Filosa, 51 of Naples, Italy, was named the next CEO of Stellantis in May.
- Filosa has been with Stellantis-affiliated brands for more than 25 years, most recently leading North American operations.
- The Italian is maintaining his focus on the American sector while naming a team of executives to lead all angles of the brand.
Antonio Filosa is starting a new job and keeping his old one.
Filosa officially began as the CEO of Stellantis — the international automaker that owns Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat and more — on Monday, June 23. Filosa, who has been with Stellantis-affiliated brands for over 25 years, rose to CEO from his latest gig leading operations in the Americas and product quality across the company.
In assigning a leadership team on his first day, Filosa announced he plans to maintain oversight of North American operations while serving as CEO.
On Filosa’s first day of work, the automaker announced several details — including his prioritizing of North America — that provide some insights into what Stellantis may look like under his lead.
Overseeing North America
Filosa, 51, is succeeding Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares. Tavares was the first CEO of the company following a merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot S.A. Group in 2021. During Tavares’ tenure, Stellantis consistently slipped in profits and maintained a reputation with employees and dealers that proved difficult to resolve. Tavares resigned in late 2024.
During Tavares’ tenure, he attracted the ire of United Auto Workers — who launched strikes and subsequent “Keep the Promise” campaigns when they felt Tavares failed to hold up Stellantis’ end of the bargain — as well as North American auto dealers.
Frustrated U.S. Stellantis dealers took an extraordinary step in September to write a public letter chastising Tavares and the company’s operations. Calling Tavares’ leadership “reckless,” the dealers said their hallmark American brands were floundering.
“The reckless short-term decision-making to secure record profits in 2023 has had devastating, yet entirely predictable, consequences in the U.S. market,” the letter read.
Filosa, though, has generally received positive marks from North American dealers who feel he is more in tune with their market.
According to analyst Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, the move to emphasize North America makes sense from a business perspective.
“North America is the most important region to Stellantis on a profit level,” Fiorani said. “Between Ram and Jeep, the revenues from those brands correct any shortfalls from other brands around the world.”
Fiorani expects Stellantis to position the brands even more aggressively in the coming months.
“In the next six months or a year, we should really see some solid moves to better position at least Jeep and Ram, if not the rest of the North American brand,” Fiorani said.
Working from Detroit
When Filosa served as chief operating officer of the Americas — a role he plans to continue — he worked from Chrysler Headquarters in Auburn Hills. Now at the top of the international company, Stellantis officials confirmed to the Free Press that Filosa and his family are staying in metro Detroit.
To Fiorani, this might help mend some wounds from the Tavares era.
“Filosa knows this is really important,” Fiorani said. “Making sure that he is on the ground, in Detroit, is the first step toward (shoring up the stability of the company).”
Before taking over as CEO, Filosa toured several North American plants, including the Detroit Assembly Complex and Sterling Stamping Plant.
The leadership team
On his first day, Filosa named the brand’s next top executives. Nearly all of the appointees came from within the company, with many beginning with affiliated brands prior to Stellantis’ formation in 2021. While Filosa is posturing to lead the North American arm of the company, much of his leadership team is based in Europe.
To Fiorani, the region from which the executives lead is less important than their experience.
“They all have such deep backgrounds,” Fiorani said. “This provides a world-class team, one the company likely hasn’t seen in decades.”
The new team, while primarily homegrown, does not mean business as usual for the automaker. In fact, Fiorani said, their experience within the company is a plus.
“Most of the people there have two decades of experience. The average among this group is nearly 21 years within some brand of Stellantis,” Fiorani said. “They seem to live and breathe this company.”
The entire list of Stellantis’ leadership team is as follows:
- Antonio Filosa, CEO, head of North America and American Brands.
- Doug Ostermann, CFO, mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures.
- Jean-Philippe Imparato, head of enlarged Europe and European brands, including Maserati.
- Emanuele Cappellano, head of South America, Stellantis Pro One (Stellantis’ commercial vehicles business unit).
- Philippe de Rovira, head of the rest of the world and Stellantis financial services.
- Davide Mele, head of product planning.
- Ned Curic, head of product development and technology.
- Sébastien Jacquet, head of quality.
- Monica Genovese, head of purchasing.
- Scott Thiele, head of supply chain.
- Arnaud Deboeuf, head of manufacturing.
- Xavier Chéreau, head of human resources and sustainability.
- Clara Ingen-Housz, head of corporate affairs and communications.
Liam Rappleye covers Stellantis and the UAW for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him: LRappleye@freepress.com.
