Maria Grazia Davino appointed group managing director of Stellantis UK as Paul Willcox steps down

CONGRATULATIONS to Maria Grazia Davino. Maria has been appointed group managing director of the Stellantis UK team, replacing Paul Willcox who has decided to retire from the group. Her appointment is effective 01 September.

Maria is a highly experienced automotive professional. She joined the Fiat Group in 2011 before becoming successively the managing director of FCA Switzerland, CEO in Germany and then FCA managing director for the Austrian region.

In 2021, Maria was appointed head of sales and marketing for enlarged Europe for the newly created Stellantis Group.

I am very pleased that with Maria Grazia Davino we have gained a proven industry expert for this position. She has many years of experience in international automotive sales and her expertise will ensure that Stellantis brands will continue to be successful in the important UK market. At the same time, I would like to thank Paul Willcox for the successful merger of the two existing legacies into a powerful national sales company that will be able to master the major challenges of the future. We are the number one in the UK in electric commercial vehicles and we want to further expand this strong position in the total market.

Uwe Hochgeschurtz, COO, Stellantis Group, enlarged Europe Tweet

Paul Willcox added: “Whilst I look forward to more time with my family and pastimes, I will be very sorry to leave such a dedicated and professional team as that I have in the UK. I warmly welcome Maria Grazia to the UK business where I know, from my experience in working with her, that she will make a significant contribution to the continued success of the business.”

Maria will have her work cut out, though. At the end of 2022, Paul Willcox stated his aim was to hit 20% share by 2025 including LCVs. Half way through 2023 and the group’s share is someway off target, running at 14.5%, down from 16.6% a year ago.

There is also significant disquiet among the group’s retailers, according to dealers that Broker News has spoken to.