What's happening at Stellantis deserves our full attention. From taking office in summer 2025Antonio Filosa is gradually making his mark on the automotive group. And although he is Italian by birth, it is in Latin America that he has built most of his career, between Fiat Chrysler and Stellantis, notably in Brazil. As a result, a large part of his circle of trust comes from this part of the world... and one appointment follows another.
A few days ago, Stellantis announced the arrival of a new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Brazilian Joao Laranjo, a man Filosa has known for over fifteen years. The São Paulo-born Filosa, who has worked for FCA, Stellantis North America and Goodyear, has returned to the Group to support the CEO during a difficult period: declining sales in the United States, pressure on margins and costly electrification. "We've been working together for 15 years", Filosa had stressed to justify this express appointment.
Drama in Europe
Another shock this morning. Jean-Philippe Imparato, a former close associate of Carlos Tavares and a familiar figure at Peugeot and then Alfa Romeo, is stepping down as CEO of Stellantis Europe. Officially, he will now devote his time to Maserati, whose relaunch he will oversee, and to Stellantis & You, the Group's distribution network.
To succeed him, Filosa has chosen another profile... once again with strong links to Latin America. Emanuele Cappellano, currently head of Stellantis Pro One (the commercial vehicle division) and former head of the South American region, has been appointed head of Stellantis Europe. Italian by birth, he began his career in Turin, but spent much of it in Brazil and South America, working alongside Filosa.
An Italian-Brazilian team refocused around Filosa
With Laranjo in Finance and Cappellano in Europe, Filosa places long-standing allies in strategic positions. A strong signal sent internally: after the Carlos Tavares era, when the balance between French, Italian and American cultures was paramount, Stellantis enters a new phase in which Italy and Latin America play a key role in governance.
Other moves have also been announced: Herlander Zola takes charge of South America, Samir Cherfan remains in charge of the Middle East and Africa, Grégoire Olivier now looks after China and Asia-Pacific, while Ralph Gilles joins the management team for design.
The logic behind these appointments is to consolidate Stellantis around a core group of managers who share the same management culture and experience in Latin America. A way for Antonio Filosa to secure his vision before the presentation, scheduled for 2026, of a new global strategy for the Group.
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After all these U-turns, it's clear that Tavares and his close team were "brilliant" captains of industry...
Everything in this group needs to be reviewed. Above all, product quality and reliability must come first, otherwise the fall will be very hard.