Share Your Feedback
Back

Impact of Innovation

Ralph Gilles

1970-Present

Ralph Gilles is a director of design for Stellantis N.V. and is fast building an impressive list of credits to his vitae that include: lead interior design of the Dodge Viper GTS/R, Dodge ESX2 and Jeep Jeepster concept vehicles and production versions of the 2003 Dodge Viper and 2002 Jeep Liberty. Currently, Gilles is the director of the Dodge Magnum, M80 concepts and the new Chrysler 300C.

If you had asked Ralph Gilles 15 years ago what he wanted to do with his life, he would have probably told you he’d “get back to you on that one.” Fast forward 25 years later and ask the same question, and Gilles would tell you that he’s living out his dream, doing exactly what he believes he was meant to do – designing cars and trucks.

A college dropout after not quite one semester of freshman engineering, Gilles had no idea that his childhood hobby of sketching cars would soon lead him down the path to become one of the nation’s top young automotive designers. The one-time college dropout received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1992 from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit and an MBA from Michigan State University.

As of 2003, he was responsible for 30 designers on a variety of vehicle concept and production programs. When he isn’t hard at work in the design studio, or on the race track testing one of his designs, he’s spending time with his wife Doris and their two children.

1970

Born in New York City

1992

Graduated from the College for Creative Studies

1992

Hired as a designer for Chrysler

1998

Promoted to manager of Chrysler’s Design Office

1999

Promoted to senior manager of Studio 3 Design Office

2001

Promoted to director of the Design Office, Large Car Studio, and Family Vehicles

2002

Received his Master’s of Business Administration degree from Michigan State University

2003

Received a Young Leaders & Excellence Award from the Automotive Hall of Fame

2005

Named director of Truck Interior/Exterior Design Studio

2006

Named vice president of Jeep/Truck, Color and Trim Studios, and Specialty Vehicles, Chrysler LLC, DaimlerChrysler

2008

Promoted to vice president of Design for Chrysler LLC

2009

Promoted to senior vice president of Product Design at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles North America

2009

Named president and CEO of Dodge Brand

2011

Named president and CEO of SRT Brand

2015

Made head of Design for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V.

Popup Close

Sign up for our mailing list