Fiat has announced that Franco Miniero, who is in charge of sales and marketing for the Iveco bus division, will take on responsibility for Fiat Light Commercial Vehicles activities, replacing Lorenzo Sistino, currently in charge of the LCV activities of Fiat Auto and responsible for worldwide sales of the Fiat brand, who was been appointed as President of New Holland, a CNH brand leader in the agricultural equipment business. CNH is 90 per cent owned by Fiat. The new appointments are part of the Fiat Group’s strategy to continuously strengthen its management team, a strategy pursued through internal professional growth and the turnover of responsibilities within the various Group Sectors.

Franco Miniero, who was born in Chieti on April 16, 1962 and holds a degree in economics, joined Iveco, the Fiat Group's trucks to buses division, in 1989. During the last decade and a half he has held positions of increasing responsibility in marketing and sales in Italy and was in charge of marketing for Africa, Middle East and the Mediterranean area. He has been in charge of the marketing and sales of Iveco bus division since July 2004.

Miniero takes charge of what is has been a consistently strong player in the Fiat's Auto Division portfolio, as the Fiat Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) unit has turned in excellent sales performances in many markets during recent years, providing a very solid backbone to the recent automotive sales recovery.
 

Almost the whole LCV range has also been renewed over the last year, with a facelifted Doblò arriving in the autumn of 2005, followed by an all new Ducato this summer, and finally an all new Scudo, the latter which was presented to the international media just a few weeks ago. Another recent arrival in the range is the van version of the B-segment Grande Punto, while upcoming additions will include the small "Minicargo" being developed by Tofas, and set to arrive in 2008.

Commenting last Tuesday on the new appointments for Miniero and Sistino, Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne said: “One of the key objectives that the Fiat Group is pursuing with determination and consistency is to enhance the skills, leadership abilities and personal qualities of its managers, whose main task is to become promoters of cultural change in their respective sectors and reach the targets illustrated to the international financial community last month in Turin. The appointments announced today are a further step in that direction."