Stellantis Names New Leaders for Ram and Jeep as Part of North America Growth Push

Stellantis is shaking up its leadership ranks with two key appointments. CEO Antonio Filosa has named Matt VanDyke as the new head of Ram, effective immediately, and Branden Coté will take the reins at Jeep starting August 3. The moves are part of a broader strategy to accelerate growth in North America, where the automaker is targeting a 35 percent sales volume increase by 2030.

VanDyke steps into the Ram role with a strong marketing pedigree. He previously served as CEO of FordDirect and, before that, held executive positions at Ford. Most recently, he was president of Shift Digital, a marketing firm focused on the automotive sector. He replaces Tim Kuniskis, who was promoted in July to oversee Stellantis' American brands and North American marketing strategy.

Kuniskis had been pulling double duty as both Ram CEO and head of the brands group. Now, VanDyke takes over the day-to-day. Coté, who starts at Jeep on August 3, brings retail and manufacturing experience from stints at Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin, and AutoNation, where he served as president.

He fills the spot left by Bob Broderdorf, who is taking medical leave but will return to a different leadership role. Both new CEOs will report to Kuniskis.

The leadership changes come at a critical time. Ram posted an 11 percent sales bump in the second quarter, while Jeep saw a 5 percent dip. Stellantis is banking on upcoming launches, including the Jeep Cherokee Hybrid and the Ram 1500 SRT TRX, to turn things around in the second half of the year.

Filosa, who took over as Stellantis CEO in July, has made it clear he wants the company to be a winner in the industry's next chapter. With these appointments, he's putting experienced operators in place to make that happen.