11:29 am, November 2, 2026
Vauxhall’s long-serving design boss Mark Adams is retiring after almost 25 years with the company as parent firm Stellantis announces a shake-up of its European design leadership.
Adams, who has overseen the design of some of Vauxhall’s best-known models, is being replaced by Pierre Leclercq, who moves across from his role as head of design at Citroen.
The changes take effect from today (November 2) and also see Sandeep Bhambra appointed head of design for both Citroen and DS Automobiles.
Adams joined Vauxhall and Opel in 2002 as director of exterior design, having previously held senior design positions at Ford in Europe and the US.
He was promoted to vice president of design in 2007 and has since overseen the styling of production models including the Corsa, Astra, Mokka, Insignia and Adam.
The British designer was also responsible for developing Vauxhall’s ‘Bold and Pure’ design language, which introduced the distinctive ‘Vizor’ front end now used across the manufacturer’s model range.
His work also included concept cars such as the Monza, GT Concept and GTX Experimental, the latter of which heavily influenced the current-generation Mokka.
More recently, Adams had been working on the next evolution of Vauxhall’s design, previewed by the STX Concept at the Paris Motor Show.
Florian Huettl, CEO of Vauxhall and Opel, said: ‘Mark served as vice president design longer than any of his predecessors. His work and vision have shaped what Vauxhall and Opel are today.’
Sandeep Bhambra, left, and Pierre Leclercq
His successor, Leclercq, has been responsible for Citroen’s design since November 2018.
During that time, he has overseen the development of models including the C3, C3 Aircross, C4, C4 X and C5 Aircross, alongside several concept vehicles, including the recent 2CV.
The 54-year-old Belgian began his career at Ford’s Ghia design studio before joining BMW Group in 2000. He subsequently worked across BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce, becoming head of design for BMW M in 2011.
He later held senior design roles at China’s Great Wall Motors and South Korea’s Kia before joining Citroen.
Leclercq will report to Gilles Vidal, Stellantis’ head of design for European brands, and join the Vauxhall and Opel executive committee under Huettl.
Huettl added: ‘At the same time, we’re delighted to welcome Pierre Leclercq as Head of Design. His global background and vision are tremendous assets in supporting the evolution of Vauxhall and Opel.’
The reshuffle also brings changes at Citroën and DS Automobiles, where Sandeep Bhambra takes responsibility for design across both brands.
Bhambra succeeds Leclercq at Citroen and Thierry Metroz at DS Automobiles.
He joined Stellantis in April 2026 as vice president of design strategy for Europe, having previously worked at Renault, Peugeot, Tata Motors and Mahindra.
His previous projects include the second-generation Peugeot 2008 and 5008, the Peugeot Onyx concept and early development work on the third-generation Peugeot 3008.
At Renault, he was chief designer for advanced design and concept cars before also taking responsibility for the manufacturer’s Indian design studio in 2025.
Bhambra will report to Vidal and join the leadership teams of Citroen and DS Automobiles, both headed by CEO Xavier Chardon.
Meanwhile, Metroz will remain with Stellantis, supporting Vidal on European design strategy.