Ram and Jeep are both welcoming new executive leaders, as now-former Jeep CEO Bob Broderdorf is stepping down after a cancer diagnosis, while Ram’s departing CEO, Tim Kuniskis, is focusing on a larger job in the Stellantis company.
Broderdorf will be succeeded by Branden Coté, an automotive executive with experience at Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin and several automotive analysis groups. Kuniskis, who has led a revival in sales for Ram, will be replaced by Matt VanDyke, who spent more than 20 years with Ford Motor Co. in a variety of roles, including chief marketing officer and the CEO of FordDirect, Ford’s retail marketing and management arm.
Since 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile, VanDyke has led an independent automotive marketing firm called Shift Digital.
Broderdorf, who has led Jeep since February 2025 after being appointed by Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, shared in a LinkedIn post that he was diagnosed with cancer and would be taking medical leave while a new executive fills his shoes.
“Recently, my life took an unexpected turn when I was diagnosed with cancer,” Broderdorf wrote. “But with it, has come clarity and a lesson in priorities, perspective, and humility. One perspective has become impossible to ignore: sometimes the greatest act of leadership is knowing when to put the team’s needs ahead of your own.”
Broderdorf led Jeep while it refreshed its product lineup, launched several crafty marketing schemes and released an all-new EV off-road vehicle. Broderdorf and Stellantis both said that he will have a new leadership position at Stellantis when he returns from medical leave.
“I fully intend to come back stronger, healthier, and ready for whatever challenge comes next. And I am so grateful to Stellantis for preserving my chair while giving me the time I need to get back,” Broderdorf wrote.
Kuniskis, on the other hand, is not leaving Stellantis, nor is he taking on a new job. In fact, both VanDyke and Coté will report directly to him as he focuses on his role as head of all of Stellantis’ North American brands (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram). Kuniskis has been the CEO of Ram while holding several other top leadership gigs at Stellantis for about a year.
Kuniskis sheds one of four roles he has held since July 2025: He was the CEO of Ram; he has been directing all of the automaker’s North American brands; he has served as the head of the high-performance vehicle SRT division; and he has directed Stellantis’ North American marketing and retail strategy.
The shuffle in leadership of Jeep and Ram is important for the automaker, which said in May those two brands would be central to the company’s long-term play to regain market share and turn the company around. The automaker’s new strategic plan, dubbed “FaSTLAne 2030,” outlined how Ram and Jeep would receive most of the research and development funding, while Chrysler and Dodge would take a back seat.
Stellantis said in a news release that the addition of Coté and VanDyke is “part of Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa’s ongoing strategy to build a team of experienced executives who are well positioned to lead the company’s growth plan.”
Liam Rappleye covers Stellantis and the UAW for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him: LRappleye@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jeep CEO steps down amid cancer diagnosis; Ram hires new CEO, too
Reporting by Liam Rappleye, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Liam Rappleye, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
