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Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa is making another round of management changes, with most of the latest moves centered on the company’s European operations.
In this articleâ–ľ
Belloni Takes Over FIAT, Abarth, And Lancia
Citroën And DS Move Closer Together
Jeep® Gets Its Own European Brand Leader
Filosa Also Changes Communications And Public Policy
Another Layer Of Filosa’s Reorganization
The changes touch FIAT, Abarth, Lancia, Citroën, DS Automobiles, and Jeep®. They also reorganize parts of the company’s European commercial structure and bring new leadership to Stellantis communications and public policy.
Most of the European appointments report through Emanuele Cappellano, Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Enlarged Europe, as Stellantis works through its FaSTLAne 2030 business plan.
Abarth 600e Scorpionissima. (Abarth).
Belloni Takes Over FIAT, Abarth, And Lancia
The biggest move is the return of Arnaud Belloni, who has been named CEO of FIAT, Abarth, and Lancia. Belloni will also serve as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for Europe.
Belloni previously spent 16 years working with Stellantis predecessor brands, holding marketing jobs tied to FIAT, Lancia, and Citroën. He later became Citroën’s Global CMO for Communications and Sports before leaving for Renault Group.
At Renault, Belloni became global CMO in November 2020 and later Chief Branding Officer for the group’s brands in May 2023.
Belloni replaces longtime Stellantis executive Olivier François in the FIAT, Abarth, and Lancia leadership role. François will work with Belloni through mid-October before remaining with Stellantis as a strategic advisor.
François has spent more than 30 years with the company and its predecessors. During that time, he led Chrysler, FIAT, Abarth, DS Automobiles, and Lancia, while also serving as global CMO.
Filosa thanked François for his work with the company.
“On behalf of the entire Stellantis team, I want to thank Olivier for his many years of outstanding contributions and leadership across our brands and marketing organization. We wish him every success in his next career chapter and look forward to continuing to benefit from his experience and expertise as a strategic advisor to our Company,” said Filosa.
Citroën Berlingo XTR. (Citroën).
Citroën And DS Move Closer Together
Stellantis is also putting Citroën and DS Automobiles under the same brand CEO.
Xavier Chardon, who already leads Citroën, has now been named CEO of DS Automobiles as well. The move keeps DS as its own brand but places both French nameplates under one executive.
Laurent Diot will add responsibility for DS Automobiles in Enlarged Europe while continuing to oversee Citroën in the region. He will have a functional reporting line to Chardon.
A similar arrangement is being made with FIAT, Abarth, and Lancia. Gaetano Thorel will add responsibility for Lancia in Enlarged Europe to his existing FIAT and Abarth duties, reporting functionally to Belloni.
Jeep® Avenger Overland 4xe in Bamboo. (Jeep).
Jeep® Gets Its Own European Brand Leader
Jeep is getting a more focused management structure in Europe.
Xavier Peugeot has been named Head of the Jeep® in Europe, a new position that reports directly to Cappellano. Stellantis says the job is intended to give Jeep dedicated leadership over product, marketing, and sales decisions for European customers.
Fabio Catone remains responsible for Dodge, Jeep, and the Ram brands within Enlarged Europe commercial operations. Under the new setup, Catone will have a functional reporting line to Peugeot for Jeep.
Roberta Zerbi, meanwhile, will shift her focus to Customer Journey Excellence and Network Development.
The Jeep change is especially notable because Peugeot’s job did not exist before this reorganization. Rather than treating Jeep simply as one of several brands inside the regional commercial structure, Stellantis is adding a dedicated executive above that work to concentrate on what the brand sells, how it is marketed, and how it reaches European customers.
Alfa Romeo Tonale Sport Speciale. (Alfa Romeo).
Filosa Also Changes Communications And Public Policy
The European shakeup is not the only leadership change being made.
Stephanie Hartgrove has been appointed Chief Communications Officer and will report directly to Filosa, She also joins the Stellantis Leadership Team.
Hartgrove comes to Stellantis from Johnson & Johnson, where she served as global Vice President of MedTech communications and public affairs. She previously held communications positions at Baker Hughes and GE.
Clara Ingen-Housz has also been named Head of Public Policy & Regulatory Strategy, International Trade. She will report directly to Filosa and handle public policy, regulatory matters, trade strategy, and international trade law capabilities.
Filosa said the two appointments are meant to give Stellantis a clearer external voice while strengthening how the company handles public policy, regulatory, and trade issues.
Lancia Ypsilon Edizione Limitata Cassina. (Lancia).
Another Layer Of Filosa’s Reorganization
The latest appointments continue the management changes that have followed Filosa’s move into the CEO job.
This round is especially important in Europe because it changes how several brands are grouped and managed. FIAT, Abarth, and Lancia now sit under Belloni. Citroën and DS share Chardon. Jeep gets a dedicated European brand leader.
At the same time, Stellantis is keeping experienced executives such as François involved while bringing Belloni back and adding outside leadership in communications.
Europe remains one of Stellantis’ most complicated markets, with a long list of brands, overlapping product segments, tighter emissions rules, and intense competition.
The new organization gives fewer executives broader responsibility in some areas while adding dedicated leadership where Stellantis believes it needs more attention. Starting September 1, those executives will be responsible for turning the new structure into better results.
Robert S. Miller