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Ralph Gilles was just another bored teenager, sketching hot rods to pass the time during a visit to his aunt’s home in suburban New York in the summer of 1987.

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He’d clearly shown an aptitude for drawing, and a particular talent for drawing cars, while growing up in Montreal as the son of Haitian immigrants. It could have been nothing more than a hobby, but Gilles’ aunt on a whim suggested that he send his sketches to Lee Iacocca, the high-profile chief executive of Chrysler Corp.

Today, Gilles, 46, is global head of design at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCA), the US$10-billion company that emerged after Fiat chief executive Sergio Marchionne rode to the embattled U.S. automaker’s rescue in 2009. In this role, Gilles oversees more than a dozen brands ranging from Jeep and Ram to Alfa Romeo and Maserati.