Chrysler, America’s third largest car maker, has announced the appointment of John P. Campi as executive vice-president, procurement.
Campi is a longtime colleague of Bob Nardelli, Chrysler’s chairman and CEO, having worked with him at GE Power Systems in the 1990s and then served as his sourcing and supply chief at The Home Depot from 2003 until last year. Prior to that, Campi was the CPO of DuPont.
A statement issued by Chrysler said Campi would be responsible for “all worldwide purchasing and supplier quality activities”. He will report to Tom LaSorda, the company’s vice-chairman and president.
But interestingly, given his background, Campi will not also pick up the supply chain brief of his predecessor, Simon Boag, who has been put in charge of overseas manufacturing alliances. Chrysler has split off “supply operations” – logistics, packaging, materials handling and production scheduling – and these will now be controlled by its manufacturing function.
Announcing Campi’s appointment, LaSorda said: "John is a recognized leader in [the] field of sourcing and cost management. His addition to the already strong Chrysler executive team further ensures that we have the talent and experience to succeed in even the most challenging of economic environments."
Campi added: “Purchasing plays a critical role in cost management and building high-quality vehicles for our customers, and affects every facet of the company. My goal is to take a disciplined approach to purchasing and apply best practices learned from both within and outside of the automotive industry."
Chrysler is now a private company, majority owned by the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management following its demerger from DaimlerChrysler in May 2007.
