FCA hires Amazon exec to run North American operations

DETROIT — After nearly a decade of developing and renewing its leadership team internally, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has hired a pair of outsiders — including a high-ranking Amazon executive — for leading roles in its most profitable region, North America.

FCA CEO Mike Manley named Mark Stewart the region's new COO, a job held at the beginning of this year by CEO Sergio Marchionne before his death in July and then by Manley.

Stewart, 51, spent just over a year at Amazon, where he was vice president of operations, managing customer fulfillment across 200 facilities with 180,000 employees, Manley said in an employee email that FCA released publicly Thursday.

An electrical engineer by background, Stewart was COO for auto supplier ZF TRW after rising through TRW's executive ranks. FCA said Stewart also would become a member of the automaker's Group Executive Council, its highest management decision-making body.

Manley also named Niel Golightly the company's global chief communications officer. Golightly, 60, was vice president of external relations for the Americas for Shell Oil Co. He previously held other communications roles for Royal Dutch Shell and Ford Motor Co., where he was vice president of public affairs for Ford of Europe. FCA said Golightly also will join the Group Executive Council.

Golightly replaces Mike Keegan, who will now be FCA's chief audit, sustainability and compliance officer, replacing Alessandro Baldi, who will retire in the first quarter of 2019.

All of the executive moves are effective immediately.