There have been some changes to the design leadership team following the formation of Stellantis and the merger of PSA and FCA. Jean-Pierre Ploué, who until last year Senior VP of Design for Groupe PSA, has now been appointed Chief Design Officer for the majority of the European brands and a member of Stellantis’ Top Executive Team, while Ralph Gilles will remain in charge of the brands in the Americas as well as Maserati.
In his new role, Ploué will oversee the Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Citroën, DS Automobiles, Fiat Europe, Lancia, Opel, Peugeot and Vauxhall brands. this isn’t much of a shift for him; he’s has built his entire career path within the automotive industry and has alternated between different strategic roles for multiple brands, including Renault, Volkswagen, Ford, Citroën, Peugeot and DS Automobiles.
Ploué joined Groupe PSA in 2000 and successively held the position of Citroën Design Director in the new Automotive Design Network building at Vélizy. He went on to become Head of Design Groupe PSA in 2008 and spearheaded the introduction of the DS product line in 2006, paving the way for the introduction of the new DS Automobiles premium brand in 2014.
In 2010, Ploué was promoted internally to the role of Chief Design & Creative Strategy Officer and reported directly to President of Groupe PSA Philippe Varin. He became the guardian of design within the brands, ensuring differentiation as well as coherence between the different design brand identities and strategies. He became the Senior Vice President Design of Groupe PSA in 2016.
Ploué has been rewarded several times for the high quality of his work and was honored with the Louis Vuitton Classic design award for several concept cars including the GT by Citroën and C-Métisse concepts. He has also received the ‘Man of the Year’ distinction awarded by the Journal de l’Automobile in 2008.
A student of the ENSAAMA School of Fine Arts and Design in Paris, France, Ploué graduated at the top of his class with a Master’s degree in 1985.
