Stellantis CEO Search

PARIS (Reuters) – The board of Stellantis (NYSE:STLA) is considering Antonio Filosa, head of North American operations, and procurement chief Maxime Picat as internal candidates for the CEO position, according to a source close to the matter on Monday.

Resignation of Carlos Tavares
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares resigned abruptly late Sunday due to increasing disagreements with the board and major shareholders. The source indicated that external candidates would also be considered for the position. A Stellantis representative declined to comment on specific candidates.

About Maxime Picat
Picat, 50, currently serves as the Chief Purchasing and Supplier Quality Officer at Stellantis. He previously held the role of Chief Operating Officer for the enlarged Europe region when the group was created in January 2021. Picat joined Peugeot (OTC:PUGOY) maker PSA in 1998, holding various positions including Managing Director of the DongFeng Peugeot Citroen Automobiles (DPCA) joint venture in China.

About Antonio Filosa
Filosa, an Italian national, became Chief Operating Officer of the North American arm in October as part of a management reshuffle following a profit warning regarding 2024 results. He joined Fiat (BIT:STLAM) in 1999, working in various roles before becoming Fiat Chrysler chief in Latin America in 2018. He served as Stellantis Chief Operating Officer for South America before being appointed global head of the Jeep brand in 2023, a position he still holds.

Interim Executive Committee
In a news release, Stellantis provided details about the interim executive committee leading the company during the search for its next chief executive. The committee, led by Chairman John Elkann, includes nine other executives, such as the automaker's new finance chief Doug Ostermann, Filosa, and Picat. Six additional executives were named as supporters of the committee reporting directly to Elkann. Richard Palmer, former finance chief replaced by Natalie Knight in 2023, has been appointed as a special adviser to the chairman, serving as a sounding board for the leadership team.