Laura Soave named head of Fiat brand in North America

Chrysler Group today appointed Laura J. Soave to serve as the Head of the Fiat Brand for North America. She will lead the reintroduction of Fiat to the North America, beginning with the Fiat 500. She holds full profit and loss responsibility for the Fiat product portfolio in North America. In her position, Soave, who reports to Sergio Marchionne, Chief Executive Officer of Chrysler Group, will work with Chrysler brand presidents and industrial leads to fully integrate Fiat product into the marketing, sales, service and dealer network organizations.

“Laura joins Chrysler with extensive experience in automotive marketing,” said Marchionne. “Her rich background will serve as a springboard for reintroducing the Fiat brand when it takes to U.S. and Canadian roads this December after more than a 25-year absence.

Soave joins Chrysler Group from Volkswagen of America where she most recently was the General Manager of Experiential Marketing leading consumer marketing initiatives. She also was the head of advertising and communications activities for all large passenger vehicles and SUVs. Previously, she worked at Ford Motor Company in a variety of posts from 1997 to 2006. Soave holds a MBA in marketing from the University of Detroit and a BS in business administration from Walsh College.