Stellantis has named two new Jeep Ram Stellantis brand CEOs in one announcement. Matt VanDyke takes over Ram immediately. Branden Coté becomes Jeep CEO on August 3. Both report to Tim Kuniskis, who continues running the broader Jeep Ram Stellantis North American operation.
The changes come from Antonio Filosa, who has been restructuring Stellantis’ executive team since taking over as CEO in 2025 following Carlos Tavares’ departure.
Ram Gets Matt VanDyke
VanDyke is effective immediately. He has more than two decades in the automotive industry behind him — marketing, sales, product planning, motorsports — and steps into a role that Kuniskis had been carrying alongside his broader responsibilities.
That dual-role situation was always a short-term arrangement. Kuniskis was elevated last year to lead Stellantis’ American brands, North America marketing, and retail strategy across the group. Holding Ram brand CEO on top of that left him spread across too much ground. VanDyke’s appointment fixes that.
Ram is not standing still in the Jeep Ram Stellantis portfolio. The brand is preparing to expand its lineup with new products, and having a dedicated CEO in place rather than a shared executive clears the path for faster brand-level decisions on that product push.
Jeep Gets Branden Coté
On the Jeep side of the Jeep Ram Stellantis reshuffle, Coté does not start until August 3. His predecessor, Bob Broderdorf, is taking medical leave — Stellantis has said Broderdorf will return to a leadership role within the company when he is ready, though what that role will be has not been specified.
Coté brings significant industry experience to a brand that needs it. Jeep has been working through a difficult period — declining sales, a portfolio that needed refreshing, and pressure from both domestic and international competition. The Jeep Ram Stellantis restructuring gives Coté full ownership of fixing that picture rather than inheriting a situation being managed from above.
Like VanDyke at Ram, Coté reports directly to Kuniskis.
What Kuniskis Now Focuses On
Kuniskis is not going anywhere — he is going narrower. With VanDyke handling Ram day-to-day and Coté taking Jeep, Kuniskis can direct his attention to what Filosa actually elevated him for: the overall North American strategy, marketing, and retail direction for Stellantis’ American brands as a group.
Running brand-level operations while simultaneously managing a group-level brief is the kind of arrangement that works only temporarily. The VanDyke and Coté appointments complete the Jeep Ram Stellantis separation that Kuniskis’ promotion last year started but left unfinished.
Filosa’s Ongoing Rebuild
These Jeep Ram Stellantis appointments are not isolated moves. Since becoming Stellantis CEO in 2025, Filosa has been methodically rebuilding the executive bench across the company.
Tavares’ departure left a leadership structure that needed reassessment at multiple levels. Filosa’s approach has been incremental rather than disruptive — installing people with long track records in specific functions rather than making wholesale replacements. VanDyke’s marketing, sales, and motorsports background fits the kind of profile Ram needs to support its product expansion. Coté’s industry experience fits what Jeep needs to stabilise and rebuild momentum.
Whether the leadership changes translate into better commercial performance for both brands is the question the next few years will answer. The Jeep Ram Stellantis structure now exists to make that possible. The execution is what follows.
FAQs
Who is the new Ram CEO?
Matt VanDyke — part of the Jeep Ram Stellantis management rebuild, effective immediately. Over 20 years across marketing, sales, product planning, and motorsports.
Who is the new Jeep CEO?
Branden Coté, starting August 3. He replaces Bob Broderdorf, who is on medical leave.
What happened to Bob Broderdorf?
He is taking medical leave. Stellantis says he will return to a leadership role within the company when he is ready.
Who do VanDyke and Coté report to in the Jeep Ram Stellantis structure?
Both report to Tim Kuniskis, who leads Stellantis’ American brands, North America marketing, and retail strategy.
Why is Stellantis making these changes?
Part of CEO Antonio Filosa’s Jeep Ram Stellantis executive rebuild since taking over in 2025. Frees Kuniskis to run group-level North American strategy rather than individual brands.
What is Tim Kuniskis’ role now?
He continues as head of Jeep Ram Stellantis American brands, North America marketing, and retail strategy — the broader group role he was elevated to last year. VanDyke and Coté take over the day-to-day brand responsibilities he had been carrying.
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