Former HD buyer leaves Chrysler

ATLANTA John Campi, the former senior vp–global sourcing and vendor management at Home Depot, is leaving Chrysler after less than a year on the job, the Associated Press reported. Campi, who resigned for health reasons according to an internal company memo, is the second high-ranking executive to quit the car manufacturer in four days, the wire service said.

The Detroit Free Press reported that Chrysler sat down with its key suppliers last week to discuss continued shipments as it appeals to the U.S. Congress for emergency loans. Campi’s resignation was announced at this meeting, the newspaper said.

Campi worked with Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli at Home Depot, where the latter served as chairman, president and chief executive until Jan. 2, 2007. Both men are former G.E. executives. Home Depot announced Campi’s resignation on Jan. 15, two weeks after Nardelli’s departure.

At Chrysler, where Campi served as senior vp-purchasing, the executive emphasized cost reductions and directed a lot of sourcing toward overseas suppliers, according to a  World Markets Research Centre report. He also oversaw “a newly litigious atmosphere that saw Chrysler file suit against several suppliers for issues that would previously have been worked out at a high level between the two companies, at worst,” the analysis said.