Stellantis names Natalie Knight as CFO, replacing Richard Palmer

Stellantis has appointed Natalie Knight, an executive at a Dutch food retailer, as chief financial officer, replacing Richard Palmer, who helped lead the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group that created the French-Italian-American automotive group.

Palmer, a 20-year veteran of Fiat Chrysler, where he was CFO before the merger, will leave Stellantis on June 30, the company said on Wednesday.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares praised Palmer’s tenure in a news release. “Carrying over from Richard’s successful history with FCA, he has significantly contributed to the success of the merger to form Stellantis and to its integration over the past two years,” Tavares said. “We wish Richard the very best for the future.”

Knight will be based in Stellantis’ Auburn Hills, Michigan, office, with “frequent travel” to other regions, the company said. Stellantis is registered in the Netherlands, and also has headquarters sites in France and Italy.

Knight holds degrees from the University of Arizona and Freie Universität in Berlin. She joined Ahold Delhaize in 2020 after working as CFO at Arla Foods in Denmark. Prior to that, she held senior finance positions at Adidas in Germany and the U.S., as well as at BASF and Bankgesellschaft Berlin.

Tavares said her experience across a number of industries would serve Stellantis well. “With her experience and demonstrated business transformation leadership, including a clear ESG focus, she is exactly the right leader to continue accelerating Stellantis’ Dare Forward 2030 strategy,” he said.

Palmer, who holds a degree from the University of Warwick, started his career at PriceWaterhouse, and later worked at United Technologies Corporation and General Electric Oil & Gas. He joined Fiat Group in 2003 as CFO of robot maker Comau. Palmer served as CFO of FCA U.S. from 2009 to 2017, and was also CFO of Fiat Group from 2006 and Iveco from June 2005. He was appointed CFO of FCA in 2011, and was named head of business development in 2018. Palmer was named CFO of Stellantis in January 2021, when the merger closed.

He was named an Automotive News Europe Eurostar in 2015.