Mr. Sandeep Bhambra has been appointed to lead Design for Citroën and DS Automobiles, effective November 2, 2026. He will report to Mr. Gilles Vidal, Head of Design for Stellantis’ European brands, and join the management teams of both brands under Xavier Chardon, CEO of Citroën and DS Automobiles.
Mr. Bhambra succeeds Mr. Pierre Leclercq at Citroën and Mr. Thierry Metroz at DS Automobiles. Mr. Leclercq becomes Head of Design for Opel and Vauxhall, succeeding Mr. Mark Adams, who is retiring. Mr. Metroz will support Mr. Vidal on Design strategy for Europe.
“His experience, creativity and vision of Design will be valuable assets in supporting Citroën and DS Automobiles in expressing strong and distinctive identities, true to their heritage while firmly looking to the future,” said Mr. Chardon.
Mr. Bhambra is a Mechanical Engineering graduate of the University of Pune, India, and holds a Master’s degree in Transportation Design from Strate, France. He began his career in 2003 at Mahindra & Mahindra and later worked at Tata Technologies and Tata Motors in India and the UK. In 2010 he joined Peugeot Design as an Exterior Designer, working on the second-generation Peugeot 2008 and 5008, the Onyx concept and the Citroën Ami, among other projects.
He joined Renault Group in 2021 as Chief Designer, Advanced Design and Concept Cars, and took charge of the Renault India Design Studio in 2025. Since April 2026, he has been Vice President, Design Strategy Europe, at Stellantis. His awards include a Red Dot Design Award for the Peugeot 2008 in 2020
