The charismatic CEO of the FCA Group, Sergio Marchionne, has barely a year left to retire and, as pointed out by some information such as that offered by Automotive News, the Italian leader would already be organizing his farewell. After almost 15 years at the top of the Executive Board of Fiat (he was named top executive on June 1, 2004), he has managed to replenish the Turin giant by more than having two billion dollars of budget on arrival to have today more than 70 billion, as Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas personally told him.
Integration of Chrysler to Fiat and birth of FCA
However, if there is one thing that will make Marchionne a history as a great automotive entrepreneur in the brand, it will be the transaction that Fiat made with Chrysler in 2009, something that became a reality in 2014. The business was driven by the strength that they had inside Chrysler Jeep and Ram, marks that the Italian businessman did not want to let escape even if he had to take charge also of others with less subsistence, like Dodge or the own Chrysler.
In addition, despite having left to agonize a large as Lancia, has also managed to set course with gains in Ferrari, which is president after the resignation of Montezemolo, Fiat or Industrial CNH. In the case of Alfa Romeo, perhaps the most recent, the latest launches of the brand (Giulia and Stelvio) have fallen as a breath of fresh air in the company being essential products to keep the Milanese manufacturer afloat, although it is true that greater economic benefits are expected from those that are being registered. In any case, it is another mark that Marchionne knew how to hold in his hands before the deceit of Volkswagen and his offspring Ferdinand Piech.
Who will replace Sergio Marchionne as head of FCA?
Few doubt that the passage of Marchionne by Fiat and by the automotive industry in general has been positive for the same, but as they say – saving the distances -: “to dead king, king put”. Sergio Marchionne has decided that on June 1 the Business Plan 2018-22 will be presented in Balocco (Italy), on the same day that his appointment took place and in the same place where he presented his first business plan. According to Automotive News, the head of FCA would still have decided to communicate the name of his replacement. It is known that this figure is a male component of the current Executive Council of FCA and the heir of the Agnelli family John Elkann could have the last word on the matter. The names that have more possibilities are:
Alfredo Altavilla: is director of FCA in Europe, Africa and the Middle East and executive of Fiat since 1990.
Richard Palmer: financial and operations director of FCA. It is likely to continue focusing on the financial aspect, since it would not be too practical when developing new product.
Michael Manley: director of Jeep since entering Fiat. He could serve for a prolonged period as CEO of FCA and, in addition, would guarantee a line very similar to that followed by Marchionne.
Pietro Gorlier: expert in the distribution network and dealers, is the leader of the brand of spare parts Mopar. Although perhaps less known than Manley, it could also be a strong alternative as a possible substitute.
Christian Garcia for Autocasión