After the sudden resignation of CEO Carlos Tavares, Stellantis Group continued to correct its previous path.
On December 3rd, Stellantis Group, the world's fourth largest car company, announced that it will implement a new management structure with immediate effect until the new CEO of Stellantis Group is confirmed.
The reporter from China Business News noticed that in this announcement, Stellantis Group has made adjustments to its brand executives in regions including the Americas, Europe, China, as well as Chrysler, Dodge, Alfa Romeo, and others.
Among them, Stellantis will replace Gr é goire Olivier, who is responsible for the group's business in China and Zero Run International, with Maxime PICAT. Meanwhile, Bi Gaocheng is also responsible for procurement and supplier quality, as well as operations in the Middle East and Africa, India, and Asia Pacific regions.
In response to a reporter's interview, the relevant person in charge of Stellanti Group China stated that the current structure of the group is based on the newly developed one. The executive adjustment announcement released in October has been invalidated
Prior to this executive reshuffle, Tang Weishi, CEO of Stellantis Group, had already resigned early.
Temporary Executive Committee established
Following Tang Weishi's resignation, Stellantis Group established a temporary executive committee and made further adjustments to its executives.
On December 2nd, Stellantis Group announced that the Stellantis Group Board of Directors, chaired by John Elkann, accepted Tang Weishi's resignation as CEO of Stellantis Group on December 1st, with immediate effect.
Henri de Castries, Senior Independent Director of Stellantis Group, stated that the success of Stellantis Group since its establishment has been due to the perfect synergy between shareholders, the board of directors, and the CEO. However, in recent weeks, different perspectives have emerged, leading to the decision made by the board of directors and CEO today.
In fact, before Tang Weishi resigned, Stellantis Group had already started the selection of the next CEO in advance. In October of this year, Stellantis Group confirmed in an announcement that the formal process for selecting Tang Weishi's successor has begun. Tang Weishi will step down as CEO of Stellantis Group and retire when his term expires in early 2026. The above selection process is led by a specialized committee of the group's board of directors and will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2025, chaired by John Elkann
But with Tang Weishi's early resignation, this selection process began to accelerate. In the announcement on December 3rd, Stellantis Group stated that the process of appointing a new CEO is proceeding smoothly, managed by a special committee of the group's board of directors, and will be completed in the first half of 2025.
With Tang Weishi's early resignation, Stellantis Group has once again made adjustments to its executives who have only been in office for over a month. The interim executive committee of Stellantis Group (hereinafter referred to as the "Interim Executive Committee") will represent the group's board of directors to control the company's operational direction and supervise its business. The Interim Executive Committee will be chaired by John ELKANN, "Stellantis Group stated in the announcement.
The reporter noticed that in the latest announcement, there have been some changes in the business responsibilities of some executives of Stellantis Group. Appointed as North American Chief Operating Officer and Jeep& reg; Brand CEO Antonio Filosa is currently responsible for the Americas region, including North and South America, as well as the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram brands, and North American design teams (including Maserati design).
Jean Philippe Imparato is currently responsible for the Abbas, Alfa Romeo, Citroen, DS, Fiat, Lancia, Opel, and Peugeot brands, as well as the European design team, in addition to serving as the Chief Operating Officer for the European region and the CEO of the "Pro One Commercial Vehicle Business".
Douglas Ostermann and Santo Ficili were retained as Chief Financial Officer of Stellantis Group and Chief Executive Officer of Maserati and Alfa Romeo brands, respectively.
Adjustment of the person in charge in China
Stellantis Group also overturned the previous adjustments to the heads of China and Zero Run International business.
In the latest announcement, Bi Gaocheng is responsible for the China region and Zero Run International business. Previously appointed as the Chief Operating Officer of Stellantis Group China and continuing to serve as the overall leader of the Stellantis Group Zero Run Technology Strategic Alliance, Oliver has disappeared from the interim executive committee, less than two months after the last adjustment.
According to publicly available information from Stellantis Group, Bi Gaocheng also has work experience in China. He joined Peugeot Citroen Group in 1998 and was appointed as the Managing Director of Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile Company (DPCA) in 2011. Starting from January 2021, Bi Gaocheng joined the Stellantis executive team as the Group's Chief Procurement and Supplier Quality Officer.
The head of Stellantis Group China told reporters that all the information that can be released at present is already in the announcement regarding whether the adjustment of the leaders of China and Zero Run International will affect the cooperation between Stellantis Group and Zero Run Automobile.
According to relevant information from Stellantis Group, in July of this year, the joint venture between Stellantis Group and Leapmotor, Leapmotor International, with a 51%: 49% shareholding ratio, has shipped the first batch of Leapmotor C10 and T03 electric vehicles from Shanghai Port to Europe.
At the end of September, Stellantis Group announced that car dealers across Europe have begun accepting orders for zero run pure electric vehicles. The orders accepted in the European region are expected to be delivered later this year
The listing of Zero Run Motors in Europe is a supplement and expansion of Stellantis Group's brand product portfolio to meet the needs and budgets of various customers. While implementing the above strategic measures, Stellantis Group will continue to be committed to its Chinese brands implementing a 'light asset' business model in China Stellantis Group stated that Zero Run International plans to launch a new car every year for the next three years.
Tang Weishi previously stated that Stellantis Group has established a highly efficient partnership with Leapmotor, which aims to first bring value to the group's European customers and achieve long-term sustainable development.
Further observation may be needed on how Stellantis Group will develop cooperation with Leapmotor after the restructuring of the group structure. John Elkann previously stated that the interim executive committee will work together to ensure that the continued deployment of Stellantis Group's strategy aligns with the long-term interests of the group and all its stakeholders.