Stellantis considers Picat and Filosa for CEO, says source

PARIS (Reuters) -The board of Stellantis is considering its head of North American operations, Antonio Filosa, and procurement chief Maxime Picat as internal candidates for the CEO position, a source close to the matter said on Monday.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares resigned abruptly late on Sunday over growing disagreements with the automaker's board and leading shareholders.

The source said the board would also consider external candidates for the job.

A Stellantis representative declined to comment about specific candidates.

Picat, 50, currently chief purchasing and supplier quality officer at Stellantis, previously served as chief operating officer for the enlarged Europe region when the group was created in January 2021.

The French civil engineer joined Peugeot maker PSA in 1998 and held positions including managing director of the DongFeng Peugeot Citroen Automobiles (DPCA) joint venture in China.

Filosa, an Italian national, became chief operating officer of the group's North American arm in October as part of a management reshuffle after a profit warning on 2024 results.

He had joined Fiat in 1999 and worked in several roles before becoming Fiat Chrysler chief in Latin America from 2018. He served as Stellantis chief operating officer for South America before being appointed global head of the Jeep brand in 2023, a role he retains.

In a news release, Stellantis did share some details about the interim executive committee leading the company during the search for its next chief executive.

The committee, led by Chairman John Elkann, is comprised of nine other executives, including the automaker's new finance chief Doug Ostermann, Filosa and Picat.

Six additional executives were named supporters of the committee who report directly to Elkann. Richard Palmer, former finance chief who was replaced by Natalie Knight in 2023, was appointed special adviser to the chairman, to "act as a sounding board for the leadership team," Stellantis.

(Reporting by Gilles Guillauma in Paris, Additional reporting by Nora Eckert in DetroitWriting by Giulio PiovaccariEditing by David Goodman and David Gregorio)