Antonio Baravalle replaces Karl-Heinz Kalbfell as boss of Alfa Romeo as Fiat Auto CEO Sergio Marchionne shuffles the top management pack once again.

Rumour has been rife for some months now that Kalbfell - brought in last year from Rolls-Royce to run the Alfa Romeo division - faced the chop, and yesterday as Fiat Auto CEO Sergio Marchionne made a fresh round of senior management changes, he promoted Lancia's 'Brand & Commercial' boss Antonio Baravalle, to a similar position at Alfa Romeo.

Baravalle - who has a strong career marketing background -  took over the top job at Lancia when the then incumbent Luca De Meo was promoted to running Fiat 'Brand & Commercial' - is regarded as having undertaken an excellent job over the last year in pushing Lancia - regarded as Fiat's 'forgotten' brand - firmly back into the limelight, with sales continuing to increase. The unassuming but firm mannered Baravalle has sought to create a distinct identity of its own for Lancia, pulling it away from Fiat, and has started to overhaul the entire operations, from the supply and distribution chains, to the sales and dealers networks.

Kalbfell still retains control of Maserati's affairs (part of his original brief) and is also handed a new role: responsibly for Alfa Romeo and Maserati's future strategic development.
 

Olivier Francois now takes over from Baravalle as boss of Lancia 'Brand & Commercial', while Lorenzo Sistino lands a similar role at the Light Commercial Division, as well as commercial manager at the De Meo-led Fiat brand division.

The other appointments announced by Marchionne were Roberto Ronchi, as head of "Fleet Management & Network Development"; Mauro Veglia - from Iveco - who becomes head of "Customer Care Fiat Auto"; Stefan Ketter is promoted to head of "Manufacturing", replacing Antonio Bene, who will hold another - as yet undisclosed - position. Ketter will also be - albeit temporarily - in charge of "Quality". All the new appointees will report directly to Marchionne.