Mike Manley Leaves Jeep, Becomes New Fiat-Chrysler CEO
He transformed Jeep from a niche automaker to a global phenomenon. Now he’s tasked with an even greater challenge.
Over the past nine years, Mike Manley has overseen rapid global growth at Jeep. In that relatively short period of time, the 54-year old Brit has turned what was already a successful brand into a veritable cash machine worth an estimated $30 billion dollars. And now he’s being handsomely rewarded for that success. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV has named Manley its new chief executive officer.
The move comes somewhat early and abruptly as the company was forced to accelerate its succession plans for outgoing CEO Sergio Marchionne. Marchionne has unfortunately suffered some complications from a recent shoulder surgery, rendering him incapable of continuing his post after he quite literally saved both Fiat and Chrysler from extinction during the last 14 years.
FCA also announced that Mike Manley will begin his new position immediately. The former Jeep boss has been with Chrysler since 2000. It was then that he joined the brand’s U.K. branch when it was still part of Daimler. Upon the company’s acquisition of Fiat, FCA named Manley head of both Jeep and the Ram brand. He now takes over the entire company at a pivotal time as the automaker positions itself for the future.
It’s a daunting task with some big shoes to fill, no doubt. Most consider Marchionne a turn-around artist who holds a reputation for working long hours. But Marchionne’s resume also includes multiple highly controversial decisions, albeit moves that have paid off in the long run.
For his part, Manley certainly seems up to the task. Under his watch, Jeep has gone from producing 300,000 vehicles in 2009 to a projected two million this year. Whether or not he can spurn that kind of growth across the FCA portfolio remains to be seen. But if he does, we might soon call him the next great auto industry exec.
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