8:00 am, October 5, 2024
Maserati has announced a replacement for former head of North Europe Peter Charters, who, after five successful years in the role, is leaving the brand for another opportunity.
Mariangela Del Vecchio joins the Italian luxury car maker with immediate effect, bringing with her 20 years of leadership experience in marketing, sales, operations and digital transformation
Having spent 17 years at BMW Group, Del Vecchio has worked across business development, after sales and marketing, including overseeing the launch of BMW’s electric i cars back in 2014 by lending support to marketing, sales and after sales.
According to Del Vecchio’s LinedIn account, the experienced automotive marketing and sales manager has also worked at Iveco as both a fleet administrator and network developer, as well as a stint at an Italian car buying start-up called Drivin’me.
Maserati says that Mariangela comes to company with an extensive track record in the international automotive industry, with more than 20 years of leadership experience in marketing, sales, operations and digital transformation. She will oversee the North Europe region with immediate effect.
The move follows the recent appointment of Luca Parasacco as the new head of Maserati’s Europe division, who transferred from his position as Stellantis’s global head of Distrigo, where he led the consolidated distribution network that supplies original spare parts to its brands.
The shake up in personnel follows a turbulent time for Maserati, which narrowly dodged facing the axe earlier this year after senior executives at parent company Stellantis reacted badly to the outfit’s poor start to the financial year.
CarDealer reported that Stellantis saw its profits nosedive by 47% in the first half of 2024, with several brands failing to meet expectations.
Maserati saw its global sales fall by 50% to just 6,500 units in the first half of 2024, with an operating loss of €82m (£69.22m). That put the premium marque in the firing line for a potential sell-off.
However, Stellantis subsequently pulled a U-turn on the comments, stamping out any rumours of a sale and committing to its entire portfolio in a statement, saying the brand retained its ‘unconditional commitment’.
‘Maserati’s mission is to write the future of mobility through the best performance in the luxury segment, focusing on the desires of its customers,’ a Maserati spokesperson said.
‘To achieve its goals, the brand is targeting a highly specific audience. For this reason, Maserati is implementing a series of initiatives to expand its presence in the global market, strengthen its brand image, and emphasise the uniqueness of its products.’
