Stellantis moves Maserati exec to key Jeep leadership post
Stellantis has shuffled the leadership of its key North American operations for the Jeep brand.
The automaker is moving William Peffer Jr., the current CEO of the company's Maserati luxury brand in the Americas, to the top leadership spot for Jeep in North America. He'll replace Jim Morrison, who will take over responsibility for "the newly formed Jeep Performance Parts business where he will lead the effort to capitalize on significant growth opportunities," according to a company announcement.
Kelly MacDonald, Maserati's chief marketing officer for the Americas, will replace Peffer at the top of the Maserati brand's North American regional leadership. She joined Maserati this year and has previously held posts at General Motors, Nissan and Lucid, according to a news release. MacDonald has degrees from Oakland and Michigan State universities.
The leadership changes are effective Friday.
Peffer, who hails from the Boston area, grew up in metro Detroit (Dearborn and Birmingham) and has degrees from Michigan State and Duke universities. He began his career at Ford but has held positions at GM and Nissan as well as Kia. He came to Maserati in 2021 only a week after being promoted to chief operating officer at Kia Motors America.
During an April interview at Maserati's North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, Peffer told the Free Press about the brand's successes in 2022, with revenue and profitability up in a region that has now become crucial.
“The Americas became the biggest market for Maserati, typically that had been held by China in the past,” he said at the time.
Mark Stewart, chief operating officer for Stellantis North America, noted the shift for the Jeep brand to a "new chapter for the region," and he highlighted the brand's upcoming electrification plans in a statement.
“Bill’s deep brand experience will bring a unique and valuable perspective for the Jeep brand as it begins to roll out its electric portfolio next year. Jim’s unbridled passion for Jeep and its capability on and off road will help to elevate and accelerate our aftermarket business, most importantly with the brand’s electric future just around the corner for our North American customers,” Stewart said in a news release.
The leadership shuffle for the region follows changes at the global Jeep brand level announced in September, effective earlier this month.
Stellantis, which also own the Ram, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat brands, moved Antonio Filosa, then-chief operating officer for South America, to the Jeep brand CEO spot held by Christian Meunier.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Maserati exec to lead Jeep in North America
