Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has placed Carl Smiley in the new role of chief purchasing & supply chain officer and he started immediately.
Smiley was also appointed to the automaker's group executive council (GEC), its highest operational body.
Smiley is new to FCA but has significant automotive experience. He was most recently general manager Asia Pacific for TE Connectivity (since 2012) and held various management roles at Magna Steyr, including head of operations and purchasing Asia for Magna Powertrain. Most recently, he was president and a board member at Magna Steyr Asia.
"Carl brings significant global experience to FCA and to the GEC both in an operational capacity and as a proven automotive business leader," said Mike Manley, FCA CEO. "As we take the company into the new year, we are deepening our bench of executive leaders while broadening the GEC's purview by adding the supply chain management function."
Before Magna Steyr, Smiley rose through ranks in engineering, supplier quality and purchasing at General Motors in the US, Mexico and China.
Following Smiley's appointment, Scott Thiele's responsibilities have expanded after he became head of supply chain North America in addition to his now concurrent position as head of purchasing North America.
"Scott has been pivotal in bringing global consistency to our purchasing operations over the past few years. Now, he will focus his efforts on driving innovation and intensifying collaboration with our suppliers in North America. He also will take the lead on the continued development of our North American supply chain," said Manley.
