Ferrari's CEO Louis Camilleri retired at 65 last week and now the exotic carmaker is in search of a new CEO to take over the reins of the legendary brand as it navigates its transition to hybrid technology. A recent Reuters report cites Apple's chief financial officer Luca Maestri as one of the possible candidates. Long-time Apple industrial designer Jony Ive, who left Apple years ago to form his own studio LoveFrom was also mentioned as a potential candidate.
This news is a bit confounding since Ive is a product designer and not really a CEO-type manager. Ive famously took a step back at Apple from his day-to-day management duties because he was feeling burnt out (understandable given the non-stop flurry of new products coming from his studio in Cupertino, culminating in the Apple Watch). While an avowed gearhead and lover of exotic cars, Ive hasn't really developed any finished car designs or solutions. Apple did have an electric car project but that was reportedly shelved because it was too much of a long-shot, even for Apple. Maestri has been the firm corporate presence in Apple's earnings calls and the numbers man for Apple as it has risen as the most valuable company. He can likely fill Camilleri's shoes although managing Ferrari will be vastly different from his role at Apple.
Ferrari is as much a luxury brand as it is a car manufacturer and innovation and new thinking can help move the company forward during these crossroads.