Stellantis N.V. announced on Wednesday, Sept. 7, that it has assigned Chris Taylor to be its chief digital information officer, a job role that was recently created by the company. The position was added with the aim of helping with the transformation of the automotive firm into a mobility tech business.
According to Reuters, the newly-appointed CDIO will be reporting directly to Xavier Chéreau, Stellantis’ chief human resources and transformation officer. He is also expected to report to the company’s chief technology officer, Ned Curic.
Taylor’s appointment already took effect on Sept. 5 but the announcement was done later. Moreover, the new job position was created by Stellantis as it noticed the increasing importance of digital applications and data for the growth of new areas in the automaker’s business.
It is planning to expand and branch out to attain its target annual income of €20 billion or around $19.8 billion in the year 2030. Moreover, Stellantis is expecting to reach this amount not only from sales of vehicles but from subscriptions and software-related products as well. The company believes that with Taylor's appointment as CDIO, the company will be able to support its "sophisticated" business requirements.
Taylor is a veteran in the business with almost 30 years of work experience in the IT biz across several global industries. Most recently, he worked for Airbus aircraft manufacturer and ServiceNow software company. He only officially joined Stellantis earlier this week.
“Chris brings deep knowledge of cutting-edge digital technology to support our sophisticated business needs, both at Stellantis and for our customers,” Stellantis’ chief executive officer, Carlos Tavares, said in a press release. “His background in cyber security, new business models and customer-centric solutions will drive the business value we require to meet our aggressive Dare Forward 2030 targets.”
Meanwhile, the new chief digital information officer holds a Ph.D. in aeronautical engineering from the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He will help Stellantis with its transformation into a sustainable mobility technology firm and will be responsible for making the automaker’s IT project execution better.