VW Group France boss to rejoin Citroen as new chief executive

Citroen has appointed Xavier Chardon as its new chief executive to lead the brand’s operations as of June 2.

Chardon joins from Volkswagen Group where he was chief executive for all of the group’s brands in France.

He will report to Jean-Philippe Imparato, Stellantis’ chief operating officer, Enlarged Europe.

He takes over as CEO from Thierry Koskas who was in the role for the last two years.

Imparato said: “I would like to thank Thierry Koskas for leading the Citroen brand over the last two years and for achieving its line up renewal, most recently with the presentation of the new C5 Aircross.

“Chardon’s rich and diverse career, his expertise in the automotive sector and his knowledge of the brand will be valuable assets in leading Citroen towards new horizons and strengthening its unique position in the market.”

Chardon previously worked as managing director for Citroen in France up until 2011 before joining VW Group as marketing director.

He then worked for VW Group in China, before becoming vice president of sales for VW’s state owned co-operation with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC).

Chardon had been working as VW Group France chief executive for over three and a half years before making the decision to rejoin Citroen.

A statement from Citroen said Chardon will be responsible for “building on Citroën’s recent successes and accelerating the brand’s transformation in a rapidly changing automotive landscape”.