CNH Taps Tech Vets to Drive Manufacturing and Governance Overhaul

BASILDON, UK – January 02, 2026 – CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNH) has fortified its global leadership team with two strategic appointments, signaling a decisive move to enhance operational prowess and legal governance as it navigates a challenging global market. Effective January 1, 2026, Carlo Materazzo has been named Chief Manufacturing Officer, and Britton Worthen has taken the helm as Chief Legal & Compliance Officer.

The appointments come at a critical juncture for the agriculture and construction equipment giant. While CNH is pushing an aggressive agenda of innovation centered on autonomy, artificial intelligence, and sustainability, it has also faced significant market headwinds. The company’s recent financial reports have detailed a challenging trade environment, characterized by decreased industry demand and a concerted effort by dealers to reduce inventories, leading to lower sales and production cutbacks. These new leaders are tasked with steering the company through this turbulence while executing its long-term transformation.

“These appointments reflect CNH’s ongoing commitment to strengthening our leadership team with world-class talent,” said Gerrit Marx, Chief Executive Officer at CNH. “Carlo and Britton bring a wealth of experience and proven track records in their respective fields, and I am confident they will play pivotal roles in advancing our strategic priorities.”

Manufacturing Modernization Meets Automotive Expertise

Carlo Materazzo steps into the role of Chief Manufacturing Officer with a mandate to oversee CNH’s vast global agriculture industrial operations, which span 15 countries across five regions. His background suggests a focus on bringing cutting-edge efficiency and process innovation to CNH's factory floors. With over two decades of international experience, Materazzo's career is rooted in the highly competitive and technologically advanced automotive sector.

Most recently, he served as Vice President of Logistics and Manufacturing at American electric vehicle maker Rivian, a company at the forefront of modern automotive production. Before that, he spent 15 years in increasingly senior manufacturing roles at Stellantis and its predecessor, Fiat Group. His tenure there included positions as Head of North America Assembly Operations and Global Head of World Class Manufacturing, a methodology focused on eliminating waste and improving quality and productivity. This deep experience in both high-volume traditional auto manufacturing and nimble EV production is uniquely suited to CNH's current needs: driving efficiency and cost savings while simultaneously retooling for a new generation of technologically advanced equipment.

His appointment is a clear nod to the evolving nature of heavy equipment manufacturing, which is increasingly mirroring the automotive industry's adoption of robotics, complex logistics, and data-driven production systems. As CNH aims to embed AI and advanced digital solutions into its products, Materazzo’s expertise will be crucial in translating those designs into efficiently produced, high-quality machines.

Navigating a Complex Legal and Regulatory Frontier

Joining Materazzo is Britton Worthen, who assumes the dual role of Chief Legal & Compliance Officer and Board Secretary. Worthen’s appointment is equally strategic, reflecting the increasingly complex legal, regulatory, and governance landscape that technology-forward industrial companies must navigate. His background is particularly notable, having spent a decade as Chief Legal Officer at Nikola Corporation, a company focused on zero-emission transportation solutions.

At Nikola, Worthen was instrumental in guiding the company’s legal and compliance functions as it grew from a small startup to a publicly traded entity, a journey fraught with intense regulatory scrutiny and complex corporate governance challenges. This experience is directly relevant to CNH's strategic push into new domains like vehicle autonomy and alternative fuels, which are subject to a patchwork of emerging global regulations. From new EU Machinery Regulations set to take effect in 2027 to evolving standards for autonomous vehicle operation in the U.S., CNH faces a web of legal hurdles that require seasoned guidance.

In his capacity as Board Secretary, Worthen will also be central to maintaining CNH’s high standards of corporate governance, acting as a key liaison between the board, executive management, and stakeholders. This dual responsibility underscores the company's intent to tightly integrate its legal strategy with its core governance framework, ensuring that its ambitious growth plans are built on a solid and compliant foundation.

A Pivot Towards a Tech-Forward Future

Together, these leadership changes signal a deliberate pivot, equipping CNH with the expertise needed to execute its vision of becoming a leader in precision technology and sustainable farming and construction. The company has set ambitious goals, including nearly doubling its Precision Tech sales by 2030 and building a connected, intelligent ecosystem for predictive agriculture. Innovations like the FieldOps digital platform, which has seen a 185% increase in registered machines, and the integration of Starlink satellite connectivity highlight this digital-first approach.

Executing this strategy requires a two-pronged effort. On one hand, CNH needs a manufacturing leader like Materazzo who can re-imagine production lines to build smarter, more connected, and often more complex machinery at scale and with maximum efficiency. On the other, it needs a legal and compliance leader like Worthen who can clear the path for these new technologies in the market, manage intellectual property, and ensure the company operates ethically and legally across dozens of jurisdictions.

The new appointments follow the departures of Roberto Russo, who retired after a long career as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer and Board Secretary, and Carlos Santiago, who was thanked for his contributions to the manufacturing organization. By bringing in talent with direct experience from the disruptive EV and zero-emission tech sectors, CNH is not just filling positions but is making a clear statement about its future direction, positioning itself to tackle current market pressures while accelerating its transformation for the next era of industrial equipment.