Paul Willcox steps down as Stellantis UK boss

Stellantis UK managing director Paul Willcox has decided to step down from the role, and he will be replaced by Maria Grazia Davino from September 1.

Willcox, who had held senior UK and international roles with Nissan and Volkswagen Group before in 2019 joining Groupe PSA, now subsumed into Stellantis.

He became Vauxhall's MD in 2021 and was then promoted in May 2022 to lead the entire Stellantis operation in the UK when Alison Jones was promoted to a global position.

His successor Davino has 20 years automotive experience, with a 360° viewpoint, Stellantis said. It said Willcox will retire from the group.

She joined the Fiat group in 2011 and has held the positions of CEO of Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, then in 2021, Davino was appointed head of sales and marketing for Europe in the newly created Stellantis Group.

Uwe Hochgeschurtz, chief operating officer, enlarged Europe at Stellantis, said: "I am very pleased that with Maria Grazia Davino we have gained a proven industry expert for this position. She has many years of experience in international automotive sales and her expertise will ensure that Stellantis' brands will continue to be successful in the important UK market."

"At the same time, I would like to thank Paul Willcox for the successful merger of the two existing legacies into a powerful national sales company that will be able to master the major challenges of the future.

"We are the number one in the UK in electric commercial vehicles and we want to further expand this strong position in the total market."