Stellantis promotes design execs Galante, Nagode after 2 departures

Stellantis is shuffling its design team after two key departures.

Jeep's head designer, Mark Allen, is retiring after 30 years and Chris Benjamin, the former interior design lead for Stellantis North America, left to become design chief for Volkswagen's Scout Motors brand.

Vince Galante, who previously led user experience, is now vice president of Jeep exterior design. Stellantis said Galante has held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility for interior and exterior design, global user experience, and the management and execution of various products and programs, including the Uconnect platform, Grand Wagoneer Concept and the Airflow Vision Concept. Galante, who joined the company in 2005, worked under Allen for 12 years in the Jeep design studio.

Ryan Nagode has been appointed vice president of interior design. He'll handle Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Truck vehicles, "ensuring a cohesive and consistent interior design language representative of each brand and its heritage," the automaker said.

Nagode joined the company in 2003 as a product designer. He most recently led interior design for the Ram 1500 Revolution electric concept unveiled in January and the electric 2025 Ram 1500 REV, which was inspired by the Revolution. The REV debuted at the New York International Auto Show in April.

Leandro Pinto was named vice president of global user experience. Pinto will be responsible for global design development, coordination, and alignment of Stellantis' user experience and Uconnect platform. Pinto joined Stellantis South America in 2019, leading the user experience design team before relocating to France in 2022 to work on regional and global programs.

"Vince, Ryan and Leandro will bring their own unique perspective, imagination and innovation to these roles as we move toward an electrified future," Stellantis Chief Design Officer Ralph Gilles said in a statement.

Gilles thanked Allen for his "indelible contributions to the Jeep, Dodge and Ram Truck brands," adding: "I hope that when he looks back on his career, he feels the way we do, which is gratification for the legacy he helped to create that will be enjoyed by the world for years to come."