Carlos Tavares, who resigned from his position as CEO of Stellantis on the first day of December, has now revealed that his “amicable” departure from the automotive group was motivated by disagreements with the Board of Directors regarding strategy.
In an interview with “Expresso,” the first after leaving Stellantis, Carlos Tavares did not go into detail about his differences with the Stellantis Board of Directors, but told the Portuguese newspaper that the decision regarding his departure was made jointly with the chairman, John Elkann. “It was a mutual decision. A decision we made with the chairman of the Board of Directors, John Elkann, with whom the relationship has always been friendly. It was all very peaceful, very thoughtful”.
Tavares told the newspaper that the main concern was “to protect the company so that a difference in viewpoints would not create the risk of misalignment within Stellantis.”
“A company that has 250,000 employees, revenues of €190 billion, and 15 brands sold worldwide cannot be managed without alignment, which immediately impacts strategic management”, said Carlos Tavares.
When asked if his departure from Stellantis caused any hurt feelings, Carlos Tavares was clear in stating that he would make the same decision again and that this was the best time to make this decision, which “came a year before retirement, which I announced in October, and would not create any problems” for the group.
Remember that the process for appointing a new permanent CEO is being managed by a Special Committee of the Board of Directors and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025. In the meantime, an Interim Executive Committee has been established, chaired by John Elkann.
