(Reuters) – Stellantis announced several changes in its management in order to improve the performance of its organization while its CEO, Carlos Tavares, will retire at the beginning of 2026.
The automaker, under pressure in North America, said Thursday that it had started the process to find a successor to Carlos Tavares.
Among the changes, Doug Ostermann, former chief operating officer (COO) for China, has been named CFO, replacing Natalie Knight, who is leaving the company.
Antonio Filosa has been appointed director of operations for North America, succeeding Carlos Zarlenga whose new role will be announced later, the group said.
In a note, RBC analysts doubt these changes and their ability to reverse trends, including aggressive pricing in North America and high inventory at dealerships.
“Furthermore, we believe that these decisions, in addition to the retirement of [Carlos] Tavares in 2026, add uncertainty to Stellantis’ prospects,” they added.
On the Paris Stock Exchange, Stellantis shares fell 3.67% to 11.75 euros at 09:24 GMT. The CAC 40 advanced 0.08% at the same time. Since the start of the year, the stock has lost 44.5%.
JPMorgan analysts believe, on the contrary, that these changes provide visibility on the management structure and a clear commitment to finding a successor to Carlos Tavares.
In September, Stellantis left the door open to the possibility that the general manager would retain his position beyond his mandate.
(Reporting by Nora Eckert and Romolo Tosiani, with contributions from Shivansh Tiwary in Bangalore; by Camille Raynaud and Kate Entringer)
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