On the pace: As head of PR for the AGPC, Tracie Stoltenburg was involved in generating publicity for various automotive brands including Mercedes, Porsche, Jaguar and Renault.

FIAT Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Australia has recalibrated its public relations team and brought the department back to a point it was at four months ago with the hiring of a corporate communications director and a new senior corporate communications manager.

Former Australian Grand Prix Corporation group manager of corporate affairs and communications Tracie Stoltenburg is named as the new director of FCA’s PR department, filling the vacancy created when Glenn Butler resigned from the company in July, while former Isuzu Ute Australia assistant general manager of marketing and PR Dave Harding has taken on the senior corporate comms role following the recent departure of Liam Price.

As previously reported, Mr Price relocated from FCA Canada to Melbourne in July to fill the vacancy created when Mr Butler stepped up a few months earlier from senior manager to director after the head of the department, Lucy McLellan, took on a newly created role as head of PR and communications for the Asia-Pacific region.

However, Mr Butler left FCA Australia on July 14 – some three months into the new role and just a day after Mr Price had started at the company – which left a hole in the department and required Ms McLellan to resume responsibility as department director.

Mr Price left the company last month.

A start date for Ms Stoltenburg is still to be set, while Mr Harding returns to Melbourne to begin his new job on November 8 – less than a week after leaving the Brisbane-based Isuzu Ute Australia (IUA).

Dave Harding

Originally from the United States, Ms Stoltenburg has spent the past three years developing and managing the PR strategy for Australia’s annual F1 and motorcycle grands prix.

She previously worked for local PR firms Edelman and Professional Public Relations (PPR), spending about two years at each consultancy, while earlier in her career she spent seven years in a variety of PR and sales roles with Minnesota-based global logistics and transportation company CH Robinson.

She will report to both Ms McLellan and FCA Australia president and CEO Steve Zanlunghi.

Meanwhile, Mr Harding joins FCA after six years with IUA and brings to the position some 20 years’ experience across both the automotive industry and motorsport.

Rounding out department personnel is PR and corporate communications manager Alessia Terranova and corporate comms executive Sarah Williams.

In other automotive PR news, Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific has announced the appointment of Jarrod Biddulph as Mercedes-Benz Cars New Zealand PR and product communications specialist for the passenger cars division.

Mr Biddulph previously worked as a marketing co-ordinator for Auckland-based prestige retail group Continental Cars, and earlier worked in a similar role for Sime Darby Motors NZ.

By Terry Martin