José Maria Alapont has been president, chief executive officer and a director of the company since March 2005.  Mr. Alapont served as chairman of the board of directors of the company from 2005 to 2007.  He has more than 35 years of global leadership experience in both vehicle manufacturers and suppliers with business and operations responsibilities in the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. 

Mr. Alapont, between 2003 and 2005, was chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors of IVECO, the commercial trucks and vans, public and commercial buses, recreational, special off-road, firefighting, defense and military vehicles company of the Fiat Group.  He also became a member of the Fiat Group Executive Committee, the company’s strategy and policymaking group. 

He served in various key executive positions at Delphi Corporation, a global automotive supplier from 1997 to 2003.  He began at Delphi as executive director of international operations.  In 1999, Mr. Alapont was named president of Delphi Europe, Middle East and Africa and a vice president of Delphi Corporation and also became a member of the Delphi Strategy Board, the company’s top policymaking group.  In 2003, Mr. Alapont was named president of Delphi’s international operations, and vice president of sales and marketing. 

Mr. Alapont, from 1990 to 1997, served in several executive roles and was a member of the Strategy Board at Valeo, a global automotive supplier.  He started at Valeo as managing director of engine cooling systems, Spain.  In 1991, Mr. Alapont was named executive director of Valeo’s worldwide heavy-duty engine cooling operations.  In 1992, he became group vice president of Valeo’s worldwide clutch and transmission components division.  He was named group vice president of the company’s worldwide lighting systems division in 1996. 

Mr. Alapont began and developed his automotive career from 1974 to 1989 at Ford Motor Company, and over the course of 15 years, starting at Ford of Spain, progressed through different management and executive positions in quality, testing and validation, manufacturing and purchasing positions at Ford of Europe.

Mr. Alapont is also a member of the board of directors of Mentor Graphics and provides valuable guidance to the boards of automotive supplier trade associations and economic development groups in the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific countries.

In 2012, Mr. Alapont was recognized by Northwood University as an Outstanding Business Leader, selected for his business achievements and exemplary industry leadership. He was honored, in 2011 as a Leader in Innovation by Philadelphia University, for his personal accomplishments and for exemplifying the spirit of innovation and the University’s mission. 

Mr. Alapont was honored by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2010 with an Award which recognizes business leaders for their leadership and service as business role models. In 2002, he received the Executive of the Year award from Auto Revista Magazine for his role in successfully developing, growing and diversifying the company’s global business.

A native of Spain, Mr. Alapont earned degrees in industrial engineering from the Technical School of Valencia in Spain and in philology/philosophy from the University of Valencia in Spain.