MILAN -- Alfa Romeo's new CEO, Jean-Philippe Imparato, said his passion for the Italian sports-car brand led him to accept what could be the toughest role of his career.
Imparato, a veteran of PSA Group, was chosen to lead Alfa's Romeo's latest turnaround by Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares in January after Alfa owner Fiat Chrysler Automobiles merged with PSA.
The French executive said he had no problem in switching from the much larger Peugeot brand, which he had led successfully, to the same role in Alfa Romeo, a company that has gone through numerous failed turnarounds. The brand currently faces steeply slumping sales and a delay in launching its crucial compact SUV.
At Peugeot, Imparato was in charge of a few thousand employees. At Alfa he said he has "a very agile team of 49 people."
"It's like a start-up, we can take decisions in five minutes," Imparato told journalists during in a media roundtable on April 19.