All change at Stellantis with four new roles
Leclercq joins Opel as Adams retires
A surprise move sees Pierre Leclercq replace Mark Adams as Opel's head of design. Meanwhile, Sandeep Bhambra takes over at Citroën and DS and Thierry Metroz lands a strategic design role
Pierre Leclercq has been given the keys to Opel Design following the retirement of long-time design chief Mark Adams. The Belgian has officially left Citroën, a brand he joined in 2018, and takes up his new post immediately.
In turn, former Renault man Sandeep Bhambra, who left that brand in April 2026 and joined Stellantis in a senior design strategy role, has taken over as head of design at Citroën and DS Automobiles. That brings another twist in the tail, with Thierry Metroz vacating his role as head of design for DS for a broader design strategy role for Stellantis Europe. Quite the game of musical chairs.
The nature of the sprawling Stellantis group may have made Leclercq's move a little easier at least, not entirely jumping ship from the organisation at large (and perhaps even keeping his Stellantis email address) and instead hopping over to a sibling brand.
Leclercq will continue working closely with European head of design Gilles Vidal who offered a particularly glowing review of Opel/Vauxhall's new hire: "Pierre has a deep understanding of brand identity and a recognised ability to translate strategic vision into desirable products." Indeed, on a visit to Vidal earlier this Spring he spoke of a desire for all the group's European brands to “trigger love at first sight" and we suspect that may be exactly what Leclercq is hoping to achieve as well.
Vidal adds that Bhambra too will continue to elevate Citroën and DS, bringing "a strategic vision of design… a major asset in supporting the ambitions and transformation of both brands."
Adams meanwhile leaves a strong legacy of his own with nearly 25 years across both Opel and Vauxhall, and is credited by top brass as "shaping those brands into what they are today." Design chops aside, Adams' warm manner and willingness to engage with design media at trade shows (and as a 2025 People Awards judge) was always appreciated, something we are pleased to say is mirrored by the incoming Leclercq.
