Olivier Francois receives the prestigious Editors’ Award at the 2026 Autocar Awards

• FIAT CEO Olivier Francois has been presented with the Editors’ Award at the 2026 Autocar Awards.
• Francois has been honoured in recognition of the personal impact he has had on the success of FIAT.
• Judges praised his transformation of FIAT into a global business, back to growth in Europe, with its strongest product line-up in decades, including the new Grande Panda.
  

Olivier Francois, FIAT CEO, has been presented with the 2026 Editors’ Award at this year’s Autocar Awards.

Francois, who also serves as Global Chief Marketing Officer for Stellantis, received the prestigious accolade in recognition of the personal impact he has made on the success of the FIAT brand. Under his leadership, FIAT has strengthened its position as a global business and returned to growth in Europe, supported by a strong product line-up that includes the recently launched multi-award-winning Grande Panda.

Olivier Francois commented: ““I’m truly honoured to receive this Editors’ Award from Autocar—especially from voices that I deeply respect, and who understand the power of both product and brand. Having led FIAT’s journey since 2011, this recognition feels particularly meaningful, as I’ve had the privilege to help shape the transformation of a brand I deeply believe in. But this recognition also belongs to the teams at FIAT who have embraced a clear vision: making the brand more global, more relevant, and closer to people again. Together, we’ve brought FIAT back and built what I believe is our strongest line-up in decades, and this is only the beginning—because at FIAT, our ambition has always been simple: to create mobility that is joyful and accessible for all.”

Mark Tisshaw, Editor of Autocar commented: “We are delighted to present Olivier Francois with the 2026 Autocar Editors’ Award. He has transitioned FIAT out of a tough period and back to its playful best, typified by the Grande Panda. Under his leadership, FIAT has become a true global business and one that is relevant for the era, with culturally significant models.

“Above all he has done this with a sense of humour and a very powerful way of communicating. His balancing of leadership of Fiat with a global marketing role for Stellantis, is also remarkable and worthy of recognition.”