On Wednesday morning, Aston Martin revealed the resignation of its Chief Executive Officer Tobias Moers, the ex-Mercedes-AMG head credited with establishing the vital technical partnership between the German and British car manufacturers. Moers decided to step down immediately from his position (although some reports suggest he will stay at Aston in an undisclosed capacity until July). Taking over his duties is the former Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa.
During an investor call discussing Aston Martin’s Q1 financial results, Aston Martin Chairman Lawrence Stroll shared some insights about the sudden and surprisingly abrupt change in leadership, as per AN.
“Amedeo will be here for the foreseeable future,” mentioned Stroll during the call. “I’ve never encountered a more enthusiastic individual in my life. He is ready for this challenge. Amedeo has a unique perspective, honed through his experiences at Ferrari, which align perfectly with our objectives.”
There were queries regarding Felisa’s long-term tenure at Aston, not due to his professional background but his age. Despite Stroll portraying the 76-year-old Italian—who possesses a mechanical engineering degree—as highly energetic, concerns loom over whether the fast-paced life of a global CEO might be challenging for him. Stroll dismissed claims that Felisa’s role was interim, emphasizing that Aston’s future direction under his guidance focuses on expansion, ingenuity, and scalability.
“Amedeo is committed for the long haul,” asserted Stroll. “[Moers] primarily concentrated on streamlining operations, enhancing manufacturing, strengthening the supply chain, and negotiating a groundbreaking deal with Mercedes,” stated the OEM and F1 team principal. “That marked the first phase. Tobias [Moers] performed admirably in that regard.”
Tobias Moers introducing the Aston Martin DBX 707 in Sardinia, Italy in March 2022. Jerry Perez
Ironically, this announcement comes as a shock, especially considering that just a month and a half ago, I was dining with Moers in Italy during the Aston Martin DBX707 media event. In an extensive conversation, Moers outlined the significant restructuring needed at Aston and how his strategy revolved around departing from the mass-production era to focus on crafting customized, high-end sports cars. Under Moers’ direction, Aston prioritized creating bespoke vehicles ordered by clients, elevating the entire sales process to a more exclusive level. No more saturating dealerships with unsold inventory.
Whether Moers was cognizant at the time or not—my assumption is he was—CEO Stroll pegged him as an interim leader during Aston’s tumultuous period from 2020 to 2022. While the company continues to face operational challenges, including those related to the delayed Valkyrie hypercar, the collaborative success of AMG and Aston owes much to Moers’ involvement.
“I will focus initially on restructuring the organization,” stated the new Aston leader Felisa during the call, according to AN. While specifics were not disclosed, it is noteworthy that former Ferrari CTO Roberto Fedeli was appointed as Aston Martin’s new Chief Technical Officer in this recent reorganization.
It appears that the future prosperity (or challenges) of Aston Martin will be heavily influenced by passionate Italians and former Ferrari wizards. Only time will reveal the outcome.
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