PSA Peugeot-Citroen (UG.FR) said Thursday it has appointed Jean-Marc Gales, 46, to head its Citroen brand.

Gales replaces Gilles Michel, who left Citroen earlier this year to head the French government's new strategic investment fund.

Gales, who is from Luxembourg, has spent his entire professional career in the European automobile industry, working for Volkswagen AG (VOW.XE), BMW AG (BMW.XE) and General Motors Corp's (GM) Opel and Saab brands.

Since 2006, he has been head of global sales for Daimler AG's (DAI) Mercedes-Benz premium brand.

-By David Pearson, Dow Jones Newswires; +331 4017 1740, david.pearson@dowjones.com