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Chrysler Group Creates Office of Vehicle Safety and Regulatory Compliance

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Shuffles around leadership

Yesterday, Chrysler Group announced that it has established the Office of Vehicle Safety and Regulatory Compliance, which will be headed by Senior Vice President, Scott Kunselman. Before assuming this position, Kunselman had been responsible for NAFTA Purchasing and Supplier Quality. In his new position, Kunselman remains on the NAFTA leadership team but is solely focused on vehicle safety and regulatory compliance (go figure).

Scott Kunselman will head up the Office of Vehicle Safety and Regulatory Compliance.

Scott Kunselman will head up the Office of Vehicle Safety and Regulatory Compliance.

Before heading up NAFTA Purchasing and Supplier Quality, Kunselman was Senior Vice President of Engineering. In that position, Kunselman had a hand in regulatory compliance.

Tom Finelli, Director of Global Standardization, will now take over Kunselman’s role in Purchasing and Supplier Quality.

Tom Finelli

Tom Finelli

The Office of Vehicle Safety and Regulatory Compliance will be a stand-alone organization, with Kunselman reporting to CEO, Sergio Marchionne, himself. The office is meant to “intensify the Company’s continuing commitment to vehicle safety and regulatory compliance,” according to Chrysler Group. It is very likely a response to the GM ignition switch recall fiasco and the visibly sterner NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) that has evolved over the last few years.

Previously, Chrysler’s global engineering group took care of the duties of the new office.

Chrysler Group also yesterday named John Nigro Head of NAFTA Product Development. Like the above moves, this appointment is effective immediately. As Head of NAFTA Product Development, Nigro will oversee “all systems and component engineering, vehicle line programs, advance vehicle development, architecture, innovation, and product technical planning,” as well as “vehicle testing and validation.”

John Nigro

John Nigro

Nigro is moving from his position as Vice President of Systems & Component Engineering. Before that, he held a number of other positions within the company, at which he started in 1984.

Nigro will be replacing Mack Chernoby, who has been appointed Chief Operating Officer Product Development.