Stellantis on Wednesday said in a surprise announcement that Natalie Knight would replace Richard Palmer as chief financial officer, and that she would join the automaker no later than July 10.
A U.S. national, Knight has been CFO at Dutch food retailer Ahold Delhaize since early 2020. In January, the company said she would leave the group to pursue another career opportunity in the U.S.
The world’s third largest carmaker said in a statement that Knight would also replace Palmer as the group’s executive vice president.
Before joining Ahold Delhaize, Knight had been CFO at Denmark’s Arla Foods and has held positions in several companies across different industries, including senior finance roles at Adidas, Stellantis said.
Chief Executive Carlos Tavares said Knight’s experience and demonstrated business transformation leadership make her “the right leader” to help the group pursue its strategies.
“I’m convinced that she will play a strategic role in setting the new impetus and unleashing the great potential of Stellantis’ value,” he said.
Stellantis said current CFO Palmer, who was previously CFO at Fiat Chrysler and held the role after its merger with Peugeot maker PSA in early 2021, planned to leave Stellantis on June 30 “to ensure a smooth handover”, without giving further details.
