PHILADELPHIA — Icahn Enterprises L.P. has promoted Joe Auriemma, a one-time Goodyear vice president who's been with Icahn for just four months, to interim CEO of its Pep Boys subsidiary, filling a position formerly held by David Willetts.
Auriemma becomes the fourth Pep Boys CEO in the past 25 months. Willetts, had held that job since February.
Auriemma was hired by Icahn Enterprises in June as Pep Boys' chief marketing officer, joining the Icahn subsidiary from Pfizer Inc. Prior to that he'd held executive positions with Rentokill-Terminix, Goodyear, Colgate-Palmolive and Procter & Gamble.
Willetts, who had been CEO of Icahn Enterprises since 2021, was named CEO of Pep Boys in February, succeeding Scott Collette, who was reassigned as chief operating officer, tasked with driving Pep Boys' greenfield initiatives, acquisitions and evaluation of new service offerings.
Collette had been named CEO in February 2023, filling a position left open since November 2022 when former President and CEO Brian Kaner left the company.
Icahn declined to comment on Willetts' leaving the company.
According to Icahn, Auriemma "has a proven track record of building profit, expanding business footprints and driving continued sales growth."
Icahn said Auriemma's new role positions the company "to focus on operational excellence, enhancing the customer experience and building a strong future for Pep Boys. Joe and his team will prioritize executing the company's strategic growth goals and continuing to focus on talent development and fostering a strong workplace culture."
Pep Boys, which specializes in automotive service, has more than 850 locations across the U.S. and on Puerto Rico.