The maker of Jeep SUVs, Ram pickup trucks and other vehicles has named a new head of customer experience in North America to replace a 30-year veteran who is retiring.
William Kendell, who holds global responsibility for propulsion supplier quality at Stellantis NV, will succeed David McDonald effective July 1. Kendell will direct staff around the company’s consumer-facing roles toward Stellantis’ goal to be the industry leader in customer experience.
“The delivery of superior customer experience is a key pillar of our Dare Forward strategic plan, which is designed toimprove the lives of our customers by harnessing the potential of our technologies and talented workforce,” Mark Stewart, Stellantis’ chief operating officer in North America, said in a statement. “Bill’s leadership experience and technical competence promise great things for our customers.”
Kendell started at Stellantis in 1994 as an engineer in the original Trenton Engine Plant and has held various positions focused on manufacturing quality, especially for powertrains. He holds a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering and master’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Detroit-Mercy as well as a master’s degree in business administration from Michigan State University.
Stellantis in North America ranks last in accounting firm Plante Moran’s annual supplier relations index, but it made major improvements in the latest results.
Over his 30 years at the automaker, McDonald held numerous roles in engineering and positions in product quality. He joins a number of other recently announced departures at Stellantis from executives to designers that’s correlated with a number of role shakeups. Stellantis in April also announced voluntary buyouts for 2,500 U.S. salaried employees and 31,000 hourly workers in the United States and Canada.
“We offer our sincere thanks to David,” Stewart said. “His exemplary service, marked by a deep understanding ofthe power of a consistent process and, importantly, how it benefits the customer, have contributed to meaningfulchange. We wish him well on a long and happy retirement.”
bnoble@detroitnews.com
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