Dive Brief:
- Stellantis has named two industry veterans to lead its Ram and Jeep brands, the automaker announced in a July 20 press release.
- Matt VanDyke was named CEO of the Ram brand, effective July 20. He succeeds former Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis, who was named Head of American Brands and Head of North American Marketing and Retail Strategy in July 2025. Branden Coté succeeds Bob Broderdorf as the Jeep brand’s new CEO effective Aug. 3. Both executives will report directly to Kuniskis.
- “Matt and Branden are proven leaders who will build on our successes and take these iconic American brands to the next level,” Kuniskis said in a statement. “Their skills and deep industry experience align with our simple, but very important, customer-centric objective: to provide people with the brands and products they love and trust.”
Dive Insight:
Broderdorf has served as Jeep CEO since February 2025, but will be taking time off for medical leave. When he returns, he will assume another leadership role at Stellantis, per the release.
“Bob is a dedicated and valued colleague, and a friend to many across the company,” Kuniskis said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing our work together when he takes on his new role.”
VanDyke most recently served as president of Shift Digital, a digital marketing firm that has worked with some of the top automotive brands in the world, per the release. Shift Digital’s OEM clients include Stellantis, Toyota and Ford, per its website. Coté most recently served as brand president of AutoNation, where he oversaw multiple top-tier brands, per the release.
Prior to joining Shift Digital, VanDyke served as CEO of FordDirect and held several other executive roles at Ford Motor Co., including Head of U.S. Marketing; VP Marketing, Ford of Europe; and Head of Global Marketing, Sales and Service for its luxury brand Lincoln.
Kuniskis served as Ram CEO until May 2024, when Stellantis announced his retirement after nearly 32 years with the automaker. However, he rejoined the company seven months later in December 2024 in his former role as Ram CEO, a position he retained until the appointment of VanDyke on July 20.
The new executive appointments are part of Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa’s strategy to build a team of veteran executives well positioned to lead the company’s growth plan, per the release.
In May at the automaker’s Investor Day event, Stellantis announced plans to invest nearly $70 billion as part of a five-year strategic plan dubbed “FaSTLAne 2030.” The investment is largely focused on the Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Jeep brands.
At the time, Filosa said the automaker will fully refresh its North America lineup by 2030, adding 11 all-new vehicles and refreshing 12 current models that he expects will provide revenue growth of up to 25% in the U.S.
