Fiat Chrysler said today that Kristen Kreibich will be its first-ever safety advocate, responsible for “promoting greater awareness” of auto safety.
Kreibich, a 21-year veteran with the company, is tasked with boosting safety awareness internally with U.S. employees and externally among customers, regulators and others.
“Everyone is a safety advocate at FCA US, because safety considerations are baked in to every component of every product we make,” Mike Dahl, head of vehicle safety and compliance, said in a statement. “But Kristen’s appointment is the embodiment of this mindset. She is our new safety ambassador.”
Kreibich’s appointment is the latest in a series of moves to address safety concerns at FCA. She will be part of Dahl’s vehicle safety and compliance team, which was restructured in 2014 after the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said FCA must recall nearly 1.6 million Jeeps after FCA resisted.
Since then, FCA said it has doubled the amount of people working in vehicle safety.
FCA entered a consent order with NHTSA in July, agreeing to pay $105 million in fines and civil penalties and to be overseen by an independent monitor for three years. It agreed in December to pay another $70 million after failing to report death and injury claims to federal regulators.
Kreibich joined the company in 1995 and has worked in a variety of roles involving safety and regulation. As safety advocate, she is also tasked with sharing “insights about proposed legislation and the evolution of the safety landscape,” FCA said.
