Ferrari Veteran Marketing Chief Enrico Galliera to Leave After 16 Years

Ferrari said this week that its chief commercial and marketing officer, Enrico Galliera, is leaving after 16 years with the company, just weeks after the automaker faced public backlash over its first electric car, the Ferrari Luce. According to a BBC report cited in the article, Galliera will be replaced by Massimiliano Di Silvestre, formerly head of BMW’s Italy unit, who is due to start in July.

Ferrari thanked Galliera for his years of service and said he had chosen to begin “a new chapter” in his career, a decision that had been made together with the company some time ago. The company did not mention the Luce in its statement, even though the model was unveiled in May and drew heavy criticism.

Chief executive Benedetto Vigna said Galliera “played a significant role in the company’s growth and in strengthening the Ferrari brand worldwide.” Galliera’s responsibilities also included deciding which customers would be allowed to buy the company’s most coveted, expensive models. Vigna added that Galliera had “the thanks of the entire Ferrari team and my personal best wishes for the future.” Galliera declined to comment beyond Ferrari’s statement.

Galliera joined Ferrari in 2010 and was involved in major milestones, including the 2013 launch of the LaFerrari, the company’s first production hybrid hypercar. Ferrari went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2015 and later also listed in Milan.

The Ferrari Luce, priced at $640,000, or £485,552, triggered a wave of negative reactions and online memes. Its design, created by iPhone designer Sir Jony Ive, also drew criticism from former Ferrari chairman Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister and transport minister. Ferrari shares fell about 8% the day after the model was revealed.