FCA appointed Reid Bigland to lead Alfa Romeo and Maserati in the place of Harald Wester.

The 49-year-old Canadian will also remain to his previous position as head of U.S. and Canadian sales for FCA while former boss Harald Wester will continue to serve as FCA’s Chief Technical Officer.

“I am thankful for the work Harald has carried out in the last few years establishing a sound technical framework for our two premium brands and which has culminated in the recent launch of the Maserati Levante and the Alfa Romeo Giulia”, said Sergio Marchionne in a statement.

“It is time now for our efforts to be directed towards the global commercial expansion of these two brands, and I can think of no one better than Reid to fulfill that mission. Reid has an extraordinary record of growing sales and market share in the US and Canada over the last 7 years at FCA, including leading the growth and positioning of the Ram and Dodge brands for part of that time”, he added.

This leadership change comes after the delays in Alfa Romeo’s and Maserati’s product plans, with the Alfa Romeo Giulia being launched five months after the original date and the Maserati Levante hitting the market a year later than planned.

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