Chrysler appoints new Fiat North America chief

By Andrew Ganz - Posted March 11th 2010

Three words we haven’t seen together in 25 years – Fiat North America – now have a leader: Chrysler has appointed former Volkswagen and Ford marketing executive Laura Soave to lead the inexpensive Italian brand’s renaissance in the United States and Canada.
Soave will report directly to Fiat chief Sergio Marchionne, who said in a statement that ““Her rich background will serve as a springboard for reintroducing the Fiat brand when it takes to U.S. and Canadian roads this December after more than a 25-year absence.”

She joins Fiat after spending four years at VW, where she had most recently served as the automaker’s General Manager of Experiential Marketing. Prior to working at VW’s North American office, Soave spent about 10 years holding various product marketing positions at Ford Motor Company.

At Fiat, which will be initially developed as a unit of Chrysler, Soave will be tasked with leading the introduction of the Fiat 500 into the North American market later this year. As Head of Fiat Brand for North America, Soave will be directly responsible for ensuring that Fiat is properly integrated into Chrysler’s current North American distribution chain and she will be in charge of all marketing activities.