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TITLE: Chief Sales and Marketing Officer 
COMPANY: Stellantis 
BASED: Amsterdam 
AGE: 58
NATIONALITY: French

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Thierry Koskas, a graduate in engineering from Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole des Mines in Paris, started his career as a civil servant in nuclear safety. He then joined the Ministry of Industry and Ministry of Agriculture before entering the automotive industry with Renault in 1997. His positions at Renault included vice president, sales forecasting and programming, and vice president sales and marketing for Asia/Africa. In 2009 he was named program director for electric vehicles and in 2013 managing director of Renault Argentina. In 2016 Koskas was promoted to executive vice president sales and marketing for the group. He joined PSA Group in 2019 as head of sales and marketing, and after the creation of Stellantis in January 2021 assumed that role at the enlarged group. In 2023 he added a new responsibility: CEO of the Citroen brand.

REASONS FOR WINNING

The merger of PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles that created Stellantis also led to a group with a dozen automotive brands, with strong presences on three continents, that build vehicles ranging from minicars to large pickup trucks. Coordinating the sales and marketing of these brands, while still meeting CEO Carlos Tavares’ ambitious profit targets that rival premium automakers, is Thierry Koskas, a Renault veteran with international experience. And to add even more complication, the group has CO2 emissions targets to meet in Europe that require continually growing EV sales.

Under Koskas, Stellantis has met its profit targets and emissions goals, as well as started the launch of a direct-sales agency model in Europe, a challenging task for a mostly mainstream automaker. Dealer contracts have been renegotiated and the first test markets are switching over starting in Austria and the Netherlands. On top of that, Koskas was given an additional responsibility this year when he was named CEO of Citroen in March. At the storied French brand, he has set  a target of 1 million annual sales by 2025, with 700,000 of those in Europe -- in addition he wants to regain a 5 percent share in the ultra-competitive European market, a goal he thinks may be possible by the end of 2023.