Stellantis’ newly appointed CEO chooses Europe for first leg of company tour

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MILAN (Reuters) -Stellantis’ newly appointed CEO Antonio Filosa on Thursday picked Europe to kick off a tour of the automaker’s production sites and offices before formally taking up his new job at the end of next month.

Filosa’s decision to begin his visits on the continent signalled an intention to start building solid relations in Stellantis’ number two market after North America, having led the latter since October.

Stellantis, the maker of brands including Jeep, Fiat, Peugeot, Chrysler and Opel, has seen its European market share decline over the last two years and also faces regulatory uncertainty as many expect the European Union could slow the shift towards auto electrification.

Although Italian by nationality, Filosa, now based in the United States, has hardly ever worked in Italy or Europe. The CEO joined Fiat, now part of Stellantis, in 1999, where he held several roles, predominantly in Latin America.

On Thursday morning Filosa was at the historic Italian Mirafiori plant, in Turin, Stellantis said.

A source said he was scheduled to meet local management in the afternoon in the northern city which is home to Fiat. The source added that on Wednesday, the day of his official appointment, Filosa had already been in France, in Paris and at the Peugeot facility in Sochaux.

Meetings with unions have not been scheduled and he is not expected to make any official appearances in his new role before June 23.

Filosa will visit Stellantis’ operations in Spain on Friday and is expected to be in Germany on Monday, the source said.

(Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari, editing by Giulia Segreti, Kirsten Donovan)