Antonio Filosa has been chosen as the new CEO of the Stellantis Group, pending confirmation at the annual shareholders meeting on July 18th, which is expected to be a formality.
The board of Stellantis took its time to choose a successor to the ousted Carlos Tavares. In the meantime, Agnelli heir John Elkann, Chairman of the group, took over temporarily.
Filosa was considered one of the favorite candidates all the way, having pursued his career within the Fiat-Chrysler group, which was transformed into Stellantis in 2021 by his predecessor through the fusion with the PSA Group.
One company man
Filosa, aged 52, started working at Fiat in 1999. Six years later, he was sent to Brazil, where he climbed the management ladder within Fiat (and later Fiat-Chrysler) to become the head of Latin American operations when Stellantis was formed.
In 2023, he relocated to Auburn, Michigan, in the United States, to lead Jeep, one of the group’s leading brands in the Country. One of his primary tasks is managing relations with the United Auto Workers Union (UAW), leading a significant fight against the ‘Big Three’ —the three most renowned American car manufacturers. A solution is found a few months after his arrival.
His rise to the top continues when Filosa becomes head of Stellantis North America in October 2024. When Carlos Tavares suddenly leaves in December, Filosa becomes the head of the American brands within Stellantis and is responsible for North and South America. This sudden rise to the top makes him one of the top candidates to succeed Tavares.
The American connection
In the aftermath of Tavares’ departure, Filosa finds himself confronted with the anger of his American dealers. Tavares, not wanting to endanger the profit margins of his group, refused to lower the prices of his once-successful American car brands, leaving the dealers with immense stocks of unsold cars.
Filosa managed to reduce these stocks considerably and is on good speaking terms again with his American dealers. This was also stressed by the Stellantis headquarters when announcing his designation to become CEO of the whole Stellantis Group.
As there are now two ‘American’ Italians leading the group, the era of Carlos Tavares has completely ended. Under his reign, Europe remained the most important continent, with a (semi-)Italian Agnelli representative as chairman and a very francophile Portuguese CEO representing the French Peugeot interests.
From now on, the fourth-biggest car manufacturer in the world is turning more to the other side of the Atlantic. At its head, we have two ‘American’ Italians, one having spent almost his entire career over there, the other being the son of a New York-born journalist, Alain Elkann, and Gianni Agnelli’s daughter, Margherita.
23 million in 2028
During his time at the head of Stellantis, the remuneration of Carlos Tavares has always been an issue, especially in 2023 when he received a total of €36.5 million. In a preparatory document for the general assembly of Stellantis in July, the salary of Mr. Filosa is stipulated. The new CEO will have a base salary of €1.6 million.
As of 2026, his first full year at the helm of the company, the maximum remuneration (with all possible options) can reach €15.8 million in 2026 and €20.2 million in 2028. That’s certainly not as much as his predecessor, who still managed to get paid €23.1 million in 2024, the year he had to leave, but it won’t make him a poor man either.
