Olivier François

Global Chief Marketing Officer, Stellantis

Olivier François, who has dedicated a lifetime to, for all practical purposes, selling cars, has also dedicated himself to fostering another form of mobility: Moving the human condition from challenged to challenger. He has used his connections, positions and budgets to simultaneously lift sales and spirits. 
 
François has always sought to go beyond the status-quo, with a remarkable talent for pairing the commercial with a genuine sensibility for socially responsible causes and environmental ethics. He has somehow reached remarkable sales figures and global brand recognition by enlisting distinguished world leaders, cultural icons from across the film, television and music industries, and world-renowned environmentalists. 
 
As François himself puts it, “The greatest Brand value I can deliver is to show that our Brands have values.”  
 
He found a way to place the Dalai Lama in a Lancia and the Pope in a FIAT by simply practicing what he preaches. To fight for human rights in Tibet utilizing Richard Gere during the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. To get Nobel Laureates’ Mikhael Gorbachev, Lech Walesa, and Nelson Mandela to appear in a spot to support free elections in Myanmar. To create with Sean Penn, virtually overnight, the campaign to support the Haitian Relief Organization and deploy an army of Jeep vehicles to distribute food and water. To stand up for Detroit in the midst of The Great Recession with bold music from Eminem and a brave message “Imported from Detroit” in the first-ever two-minute Super Bowl spot in the history of the Big Game. Lifting an industry, a city and a nation. 
 
His proposal to use Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot” in a Jeep campaign actually influenced then-FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne to change product planning to build the first ever electrified Jeep vehicle – the Jeep Wrangler 4xe. And for a nation sadly in need of uplift as the global pandemic began ravaging the world, François used the fact that the Super Bowl fell on Groundhog Day to engage the elusive Bill Murray to create a spot that not only topped the Super Bowl charts but took top honors in the post pandemic Cannes Festival. But he didn’t stop there. 
 
François teamed with Bono’s RED® organization to use FIAT, the brand that François has been running as CEO since 2011, to commit millions to fight AIDS and Covid. Then, in the midst of the most divisive election in our nation’s history, he sought common ground by teaming with none other than Bruce Springsteen to take a stand for “The Middle.” The forgotten middle was not forgotten. 
 
In his boldest move yet, François is using his role as CEO of FIAT Automobiles to make the all-new Fiat 500 all-electric (and only electric): For Francois, passion for an ethical approach runs deeper than marketing, it actually affects vehicle production. In a personal lunch with Leonardo DiCaprio, he convinced the elusive environmentalist to stand alongside Francois as he strives to convert the most popular mass-market city car to all-electric to shape the future of urban mobility worldwide.
 
Beyond marketing, François has extensive work experience in business operations, and sales through his leadership roles over the last three decades. He assumed leadership roles at Citroën before joining FIAT in 2005. François was the lead executive for Lancia S.p.A. and then Chrysler brand (2009) after the Chrysler Group and FIAT merger, and CEO of FIAT Automobiles since 2011. Concurrently, François has held the CMO role since 2008, retaining this position over two decades and three mergers. Although the company has evolved and reformed three times—from the Chrysler Group, to FCA to now Stellantis (in 2021), a group of 14 brands – Francois' role as CMO has been a constant.
 
François was recently named to Forbes CMO Hall of Fame (2022), after appearing on Forbes “World’s Most Influential CMO” list multiple times since 2014. He has twice been named the "Grand Brand Genius" by Adweek; named “Branding Power Player” by Billboard Magazine (2016) and Advertising Age named the Chrysler Group under François’ leadership, as the "Marketer of the Year" (2012). 
 
The Ram brand’s critically-acclaimed “Farmer” (2013) featuring the voice of legendary radio announcer Paul Harvey and the Dodge brand’s “Wisdom” (2016), recognizing the 100th anniversary of the brand and starring centenarians dispensing their own life wisdom, were named the Nielsen Automotive Ad of the Year. 
 
François and his team garnered a Primetime Emmy for “Outstanding Commercial” for the “Imported from Detroit” Super Bowl campaign in 2012 and was nominated again in the “Outstanding Commercial” category in 2020 for the “Groundhog Day” Super Bowl commercial starring Bill Murray. 
 
François holds a degree in economy, finance and marketing from Dauphine University (Paris) and a diploma from the IEP (Institute des Sciences Politiques) (Paris).