Xavier Chardon, who has led Volkswagen Group France until now, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Citroën brand, effective June 2, 2025. He will report to Jean-Philippe Imparato, Enlarged Europe Chief Operating Officer, Stellantis, who is currently overseeing the multinational group as it searches for a new CEO after Carlos Tavares’s departure.
At the beginning of 2023, Thierry Koskas took over as head of the iconic French brand from Linda Jackson (who was then moving to Peugeot). He oversaw a pivotal patch that included repositioning the brand, the launch of new EVs, and a line-up reshuffle that included the launch of the all-important C3 (also in EV form) and the new C5 Aircross (now also as a BEV).
Imparato said: “I would like to thank Thierry Koskas for leading the Citroën brand over the last two years and achieving its line-up renewal, most recently with the presentation of the new C5 Aircross.”
He added, “We are very pleased to welcome Xavier Chardon to the head of Citroën. His rich and diverse career, his automotive sector expertise, and his brand knowledge will be valuable assets in leading Citroën towards new horizons and strengthening its unique position in the market.”
Almost 20 years at Citroën
A graduate of the Institut Commercial de Nancy, Xavier Chardon has spent his entire career in the automotive industry in France, Europe, and China. He joined PSA in 1994 and began his career at Citroën in Italy. After various positions at the brand’s headquarters, he took over responsibility for Citroën in Denmark in 2001 and Germany in 2004.
He was then Director of Marketing, Press, and Public Relations from 2007 to 2009 before becoming Managing Director of Citroën France, a position he held until 2011.
14 years at Volkswagen
Xavier Chardon joined Volkswagen AG in 2012 as Vice President of European Sales and took over global marketing and communications in 2014.
Appointed Vice President of Marketing and Customers in charge of the Volkswagen brand in 2016, Chardon joined Volkswagen China to lead the “Project House Digitalization” from 2017 to 2018 before taking over as Vice President of Sales and Marketing of the SAIC-Volkswagen joint venture.
When he returned to France in 2021, he became Chairman of the Management Board of Volkswagen Group France, a position he has held until now.
New strategy
Like the entire Stellantis group, Citroën has experienced a difficult 2024 but shows signs of a resurrection. The new targets are electrification, but also affordability. In the first quarter of 2025, the group is gaining back lost ground in market share thanks to the success of Citroën C3/ëC3, the Peugeot 5008, and the Opel Grandland.
For Citroën, the Group now counts on the return of old recruit Xavier Chardon to successfully launch the new C3 Aircross and the C5 Aircross flagship and continue the new path of a brand that has long been very different from the others and wants to return to that status.
