► Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares to step down
► Chief who forged mega-group to retire in 2026
► Part of a wider strategic leadership rejig
Carlos Tavares, the man who formed Stellantis from the bones of PSA and Vauxhall-Opel, has announced he is to retire at the end of his term. The surprise news means the world’s fourth-biggest car-making group will be under new leadership in 18 months’ time.
He is taking well-deserved retirement ‘at the conclusion of his CEO term in early 2026,’ the company has confirmed. It has already started the process of headhunting his successor.
The news dropped as part of a wider management reshuffle, designed to ‘drive simplification and enhance organisational performance in a turbulent global environment.’
The latest round of corporate musical chairs moves the following executives into key leadership positions, effective immediately:
- Antonio Filosa is appointed North America chief operating officer in addition to his role as Jeep brand CEO. He previously ran Stellantis’s operations in South America and he replaces Carlos Zarlenga, whose next position will be subject to a further announcement
- Former Alfa Romeo boss Jean-Philippe Imparato becomes ‘chief operating officer enlarged Europe’, in addition to his role as CEO of Pro One. He succeeds Uwe Hochgeschurtz who leaves Stellantis.
- Doug Ostermann is appointed chief financial officer, succeeding Natalie Knight who will is leaving Stellantis. Ostermann was previously COO
- Gregoire Olivier takes over as chief operating officer in China and will oversea the relationship with Leapmotor, which is launching in Europe now
- Santo Ficili becomes CEO of Maserati and Alfa Romeo, replacing Davide Grasso whose next position in the group will be announced shortly
Why is Stellantis reshuffling its board?
Over to the CEO to explain the rationale behind his last big shake-up before he departs: ‘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,’ said Tavares (below).
‘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. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to lay the foundations for Stellantis’ future success.’
Chairman of the board of directors John Elkann is leading the process of finding Tavares’s successor. He aims to complete the recruitment by the fourth quarter of 2025.