Stellantis has appointed Stephanie Hartgrove as chief communications officer and named Clara Ingen-Housz to lead public policy and regulatory strategy for international trade, the automaker confirmed in a release circulated via GlobeNewswire.

The dual move lands at one of the world's largest automakers by volume — a group formed from the 2021 merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group. Stellantis now sells passenger and commercial vehicles under brands including Jeep, Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat, Ram, Chrysler, Opel, and Vauxhall across Europe, North America, and South America.

What did Stellantis announce?

Two senior appointments, named in a single headline. The CCO seat sits at the highest communications tier in European automakers. The international trade policy lead sits inside the public-policy function, typically reporting to a chief policy officer, general counsel, or directly to the CEO.

Practitioners will look for the first earnings call under Hartgrove's tenure and the first regulatory intervention by Ingen-Housz to gauge scope.

What did the release leave out?

Stellantis did not disclose:

• Reporting line for the CCO role
• Reporting line for the policy role
• Whether either is an internal promotion or external hire
• Predecessors or their status
• Effective dates
• Geographic scope of the international trade remit
• Any accompanying structural reorganization

The release confirmed titles and nothing more. Comms Memo has contacted Stellantis for clarification; this page will be updated with company response.

Why the dual timing matters to in-house teams

Two simultaneous senior appointments at CCO and policy-leadership level are unusual at a publicly listed automaker of Stellantis's scale. Both functions touch external narrative. One shapes what the company says to media, investors, and employees. The other shapes what it negotiates with regulators and trade partners.

When both turn over in a single announcement, the operational read is a coordinated reset rather than a routine vacancy fill. In-house comms leads should expect changes in messaging cadence, agency roster, and internal stakeholder briefing within the next quarter.

What it means for agency partners

For agency partners currently on the Stellantis account list, the appointments reset the relationship map. Account teams should expect new briefs and new approvers within weeks.

For pitch consultants targeting Stellantis, the appointments create openings. A new CCO at a publicly listed OEM typically reviews agency roster within the first 90 days, with consolidation, expansion, or full RFP as possible outcomes.

What practitioners should watch

• First quarterly results call under Hartgrove's tenure — primary public test for any new CCO
• First public appearance by Ingen-Housz at a regulatory hearing, trade consultation, or industry event
• Subsequent Stellantis press releases naming reporting structure or consolidating related functions
• Direct company statement to trade media on scope, remit, and effective dates

Until any of those surface, the appointments stand as titled and unscoped. The CCO title has rotated frequently at several large European OEMs in recent years — practitioners should expect a quick first public appearance to read the new appointee's positioning.