TURIN -- Italian brake system specialist Brembo has announced that former Nissan executive Daniele Schillaci will become its new CEO. His priority will be to double the size of the supplier.
Schillaci, Nissan’s executive vice president for global marketing and sales as well as zero-emissions vehicles, is returning to Europe after four years at the Japanese automaker's global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan.
“I wish to welcome Daniele Schillaci, an Italian manager coming back to Italy with pride and passion after spending 20 years abroad and from which we expect a strong contribution to the future development of the company,” Brembo controlling shareholder and Chairman Alberto Bombassei said in a statement.
Nissan announced last month that Schillaci had “elected to depart the company to pursue an opportunity closer to his native home in Europe.”
Schillaci’s move was the latest in a series of departures from Nissan by non-Japanese executives in the wake of Carlos Ghosn’s arrest in November for alleged financial misconduct.
Schillaci, 54, will become Brembo's new CEO on July 1, the day after Brembo current CEO Andrea Abbati Marescotti leaves the company “to pursue new professional projects and activities,” Brembo said.
“Schillaci’s broad international management experience, the deep knowledge on hybrids he gained while at Toyota and on electric vehicles at Nissan, will help Brembo strengthen its business and make acquisitions that grow our activities,” Brembo Executive Vice Chairman Matteo Tiraboschi told Automotive News Europe.
Tiraboschi told ANE in July that Brembo, despite being the No. 1 supplier of high-performance braking system, needs to grow substantially.
“Globally, we are small. We would have to double our sales to 5 billion euros per year,” he said.
Brembo in 2018 increased its revenue 7.2 percent to 2.64 billion euros.
Seasoned executive
Schillaci began his career in 1993 at Renault, where he spent seven years. He moved to Fiat in 2001 as head of sales and marketing for Alfa Romeo. After moving to Toyota, Schillaci helped the automaker expand its presence in Europe and also served at operations boss at the Lexus brand.
In 2010, he became president and CEO of Toyota's French division. Two years later he was promoted to senior vice president of sales and marketing at Toyota Europe.
He joined Nissan in July 2015 as executive vice president and executive committee member with the position of head of global sales and marketing and electric vehicles for the Nissan, Datsun and Infiniti brands. His focus was specifically on car production and market positioning. He was also appointed president of the Japan and Asia Region with responsibility for production, engineering, development, sales and marketing, finance and has led Nissan’s zero-emissions vehicles project.
Born in Italy and raised in Belgium, Schillaci is a 1993 graduated of the Polytechnic University of Milan with a degree in new industrial technologies and business management. He has furthered his education by completing the CEDEP Program at INSEAD and the Executive Development Program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
