Marelli appointed Laurent Favre chief executive with immediate effect on November 5, ending Frederick “Fritz” Henderson’s tenure as interim CEO. Reuters confirmed the leadership change, while ET Auto reported Favre’s mandate and career background. The appointment moves the supplier from interim leadership to a permanent chief while its restructuring remains underway.
Favre’s immediate priority is to complete the work required for Marelli to emerge from Chapter 11, according to ET Auto. He said the company will focus on restoring financial strength, improving business performance and rebuilding customer confidence. Marelli is an international automotive supplier serving manufacturers across a range of vehicle systems. Its leadership transition therefore sits close to a practical question for customers and employees: who will guide operations as the restructuring process reaches its next phase.
Favre has spent more than two decades in senior roles across automotive suppliers. ET Auto reports that he held leadership positions at ThyssenKrupp, ZF and Benteler, including CEO of Benteler’s Automotive Division. He later led Plastic Omnium, which was renamed OPmobility, as chief executive from 2020 to 2025. The experience combines supplier operations with a prior company-wide transformation, although neither outlet presents a detailed new operating plan from Marelli.
Henderson had been serving as interim CEO after Marelli’s previous leadership transition. Reuters says he is stepping down as interim chief as Favre takes over. The change closes the temporary phase, but it does not end the broader restructuring or provide a fixed date for its completion. That distinction matters: Favre has the permanent title now, while a portion of the company’s governance remains conditional on the restructuring outcome.
A related board change is planned, not yet effective. Reuters reports that Bram Schot is expected to become Marelli’s chairman after the company completes its restructuring. ET Auto adds that the lender group announced the plan earlier in the year and that the appointment depends on Marelli’s emergence and satisfaction of restructuring conditions. Until those steps are complete, Schot’s future chair role should be treated as a stated plan rather than a completed board appointment.
Favre’s move is a succession story with a clear operating brief: finish the restructuring, strengthen the balance sheet and re-establish customer confidence. In the wider automotive sector, Encafeinados recently followed another leadership move at Nissan Motor Ibérica. Marelli’s circumstances differ, but both appointments put senior leaders close to the work of keeping complex supplier and manufacturer relationships steady.
