Tag: whos where

Dominic Najafi takes top Cadillac design job

The ex-Bentley and JLR designer speaks to Car Design News about trading Leamington Spa for Michigan, and why the Cadillac brand has "enormous potential"

Freddie Holmes

Exclusive: Sid Odedra on moving from Audi to Polestar

Following a visit to Gothenburg earlier this year and a surprise meeting with the UX specialist, CDN is now the first to report on his first few months at Polestar

People: Toyota’s CALTY Design Research announces executive changes

Toyota’s North American design group revealed two executive changes, effective today

New design director at Lincoln as Curic moves to Ford Performance division

In an internal shake-up, Kemal Curic has left Lincoln to head up the Ford Performance division while Christine Cheng takes Curic’s former role. The Irvine studio is also set to close design operations as Ford consolidates its design teams in Dearborn

BMW shakes up design team, brings in Missoni

BMW Group is comprehensively overhauling its design division with the BMW brand team split into two studios supported by a newly created CMF department working across all brands

Polestar continues to ring the changes as CEO Thomas Ingenlath steps down

It is all change at Swedish EV brand Polestar as CEO Thomas Ingenlath follows design director Maximilian Missoni out the door

Kia appoints two new design leaders

After a surprise move earlier in the year, Oliver Samson has landed at Kia’s Frankfurt studio, while Seungmo Lim is now head of the Kia Design Center in China

Interview: Javier Garcia-Gallardo on heading up Zeekr’s new Shanghai studio

Javier Garcia-Gallardo will head up Zeekr’s new Shanghai studio. Car Design News caught up with the designer at the brand’s Gothenburg studio to find out a little more

Dacia designer to head up Ford E division

Dacia’s Bucharest studio chief has taken up a new role with Ford, focussing exclusively on EVs

Helicopter firm adds Blades from Tesla

Peter Blades joins emerging eVTOL company Skyryse, continuing the trend of designers shifting from automotive to aviation

Lynk & Co names Shanghai design studio chief

Nicki Kwee returns to Lynk & Co, this time to lead the new Shanghai design studio, and he tells Car Design News more about the move

Breaking: Frascella joins Audi as Lichte takes new VW Group role

Marc Lichte has left Audi (but not the wider Volkswagen Group) and is replaced by outgoing JLR design director Massimo Frascella

Exclusive: Oliver Samson leaves Changan

Oliver Samson, global design director of Changan’s Shenlan/Deepal brand, has left the company

Exclusive: T. Jon Mayer leaves Volvo

Volvo Cars’ head of exterior design has left the company

LEVC adds CMF design chief

Former Tata CMF designer takes new senior role at LEVC

Xiaomi enlists Bangle as ‘strategic design consultant’

Veteran designer Chris Bangle has been brought in as a consultant for Xiaomi’s venture into the automotive space

Breaking: Massimo Frascella leaves JLR

JLR design director Massimo Frascella has confirmed he will be leaving the company

Changan brings senior designer to Japan studio

David Beasley swaps Gothenburg for Yokohama, moving from Lynk & Co to Changan

Callum promotes new head of design

Callum design has promoted creative lead Aleck Jones to head of design

Job news at Lucid, Pininfarina and Li Auto

Car design is evolving at a rapid pace, and so is the job market. Here is the latest round of new gigs and promotions

Donckerwolke gets expanded role (again) at Hyundai

Already in a multi-faceted role, Hyundai Motor Group’s top designer and President will take on additional responsibilities at the newly created HMG Global Design Division

Klaus Zyciora joins Changan

The long-serving Volkswagen designer has joined Chinese carmaker Changan where he will oversee global design activities

Polaris hires experienced GM designer for off-road division

Clay Dean has landed a senior design role at Polaris, leaving his role as chief innovation officer at Under Armour. He tells Car Design News that his varied experience and natural interest in off-roading makes it a perfect fit

ArtCenter names new transportation design chair

Marek Djordjevic, an alumnus of Rolls-Royce and BMW Designworks, steps into a pivotal leadership role at the design school

Bugatti must pair charisma with performance, says new design boss

Bugatti’s new design director tells CDN about his approach to design and why a close relationship with the engineering team has taken its cars to the next level

Ben Payne promoted at Lotus

Car Design News in Review 2023 Q2

Car Design News’ James McLachlan and Freddie Holmes rendevous at the CDN headquarters to discuss new car launches from Mercedes, Lancia, Aston Martin and a host of others, plus people moves, car design events and why designers need to work harder on sound design. We also interview clay modeller Harry Burgess about his craft

Trio of design promotions at Stellantis

Senior designers at Stellantis have been promoted to new roles in exterior, interior and user experience

Kia adds luxury nous with new exterior design hire

Kia has brought in an experienced exterior designer who joins most recently from a stint at Faraday Future but has spent the bulk of his career with Bentley and BMW

Exclusive: Chris Benjamin on taking the reins at Scout

The former VP of interior design at Stellantis sat down with North American Correspondent Laura Burstein to discuss building a new team and reimagining a storied brand

Ousted from Volvo, Page bounces back to Bentley

Ex-Volvo design director Robin Page takes Bentley’s top design job

Ajay Jain to lead Tata’s Pune design studio

Ajay Jain has been appointed head of design for the Tata Motors India Design Studio based in Pune. Car Design News grabbed a few words with the designer

JC Pavone talks Volkswagen promotion and regional design strategy

Volkswagen’s longtime design lead for Brazil has been promoted to head of Volkswagen design for both North and South America

Sophie Li on Volvo’s new Shanghai studio

Car Design News speaks to Sophie Li, the designer who will lead Volvo’s new Shanghai studio

Bentley’s new design boss jumps ship to McLaren (inside three months)

After only three months as Bentley’s design director Tobias Sühlmann has joined McLaren as chief design officer

Rolls-Royce designer takes senior role at Pininfarina

Pininfarina has brought in Felix Kilbertus from Rolls-Royce to fill the position left vacant by previous chief creative officer Kevin Rice

Geely expands design leadership

Hot on the heels of its new Milan studio, Geely has brought in ex-Chang An design director Chen Zheng as VP of design

Nio appoints new advanced exterior design director

Adil Benwadih has been named as advanced exterior design director at Nio and will be based in Munich

Italdesign brings in new design boss

Italdesign has tapped Joaquin Garcia to replace Carsten Monnerjan as head of design, who took the top job in 2019

Volvo looks beyond automotive for new head of design

The OEM has tapped the broad expertise of Jeremy Offer, formerly of electric commercial vehicle start-up Arrival, to take the reins. It may be a sign of a wider trend.

Jozef Kabaň shuffles to VW mobility role as Mindt fills brand hole

A shakeup at Volkswagen Group will see Bentley’s former design boss Andreas Mindt replace Jozef Kabaň who will move to a VW mobility role

General Motors adds digital sculptor to UK studio

Digital designer Jonathan Findlay makes the move from Lotus to GM

Nio design lead joins EV start-up

Following a brief stint at Nio, Alister Whelan is now VP of design at UK-based EV start-up Forseven

GM adds exterior design specialist to UK studio

It has been a busy start to the year on the job front, with several promotions and new placements already. The latest comes from GM, which is in the early stages of building out its new UK studio

Movement at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ design studio

The head of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ (VWCV) design studio has returned to Germany after a stint in Australia

Lotus promotes new interior design lead

Matthew Hill has been promoted as head of interior design at the Lotus Tech Creative Centre (LTCC)

CDR 9 student design winner gets nod for production

Swedish brand Cake has commited to producing an electric quadbike, the Kibb, by 2025. It was designed by UMEA student Fanny Jonsson – highlighting the valuable role the next wave of talent will play in transportation design

Nissan promotes Latin America design boss

John Sahs has been bumped up from chief designer to design director at Nissan Latin America

Karim Habib gets promotion at Kia

The experienced designer joined in 2019 but already seems to be making quite an impression

Zyciora out, Mauer in (again)

Michael Mauer will replace Klaus Zyciora as Volkswagen Group design boss from 1st January 2023

Volvo’s ‘thoughtful’ approach lands new US design lead

We caught up with Nick Gronenthal who recently took on a senior design role at Volvo Car USA

Alfa Romeo names new head of exterior design

Bob Romkes will move over from Citroen and DS in Paris to a new role in Turin

Lotus names Ben Payne as chief creative officer

Ben Payne will shift into a new role as chief creative officer for Lotus Technology as the brand pushes further into the ‘lifestyle’ vehicle space

Karma bolsters studio with new design VP

Following an announcement earlier in September, Car Design News caught up with Karma’s incoming VP of global design, Michelle Christensen, to discuss her direction for the brand as it pursues new definitions of luxury

Leadership transition at GM’s California Advanced Design Studio

Frank Saucedo will retire after a long, successful tenure at General Motors, with Brian Smith assuming leadership of the studio in North Hollywood

Exclusive: Julian Thomson to head up GM’s new UK-based advanced design studio

Former Jaguar Land Rover design director Julian Thomson will head up GM’s advanced design studio based in the UK. Car Design News’ editor James McLachlan spoke to the designer about his new role, the future of EVs, and what kind of talent he is looking for

JP Gregory leaves Aston for Lotus

John Paul “JP” Gregory (pictured above right) has joined Lotus Tech Creative Centre (LTCC) in Coventry as head of exterior design, leaving a similar role at Aston Martin in mid-June, after only a few months

Rob Melville exits McLaren

McLaren’s director of design, Rob Melville has left the company after 13 years with Goran Ozbolt stepping up as acting design director

Karma lands experienced interior design head

Nicholas David joins from an illustrious career across various global automakers as Karma looks to expand in coming years

Dacia appoints new VP of Design

Experienced Renault designer David Durand takes on a new role at Dacia, replacing Miles Nürnberger, who departs after less than a year in the role

Leadership changes afoot at General Motors

Andrew Smith to lead General Motors Global Advanced Design while Bryan Nesbitt will head up Cadillac Global design, replacing Smith

Peter Horbury explains new Lotus design role and future product

In Peter Horbury’s first official month in his new role as head of design at Lotus – and as its new Warwickshire design studio is renamed the Lotus Tech Creative Centre (LTCC) – he candidly explained to Car Design News his hopes and dreams for the plucky British sports brand, now with major Chinese backing

Vanessa Chang to head up BMW Group Designworks Shanghai studio

Vanessa Chang takes the reins at the Shanghai studio for BMW Group Designworks

Stephane Janin to lead GAC Advanced Design Europe

GAC has appointed Stephane Janin, former Renault concept car lead, to head up its new design studio in Milan, Italy

Ex-Apple designer Jony Ive to collaborate with Ferrari on the Italian brand’s first EV

Apple’s former design talisman Jony Ive, the man behind the iPhone, is working with Ferrari to develop its first electric vehicle

Luc Donckerwolke takes on creative and comms roles at Genesis

Hyundai’s Luc Donckerwolke will now also oversee Genesis as chief creative officer and chief brand officer

Stefan Sielaff to head up Geely design; Peter Horbury moves to Lotus

Chinese car giant Geely has appointed Bentley’s former design director Stefan Sielaff as VP of global design, replacing Peter Horbury who moves to Lotus as senior VP of design

Stellantis launches design studio

Klaus Busse and Arnault Gournac to jointly head up new creative agency formed to collaborate with global partners on brand and design projects

Gustavo Guerra to take strategic role at Volvo

Design director at Volvo Trucks Gustavo Guerra is to head up product planning at the brand’s R&D division

Dacia appoints Miles Nürnberger as design director

Long-time Aston Martin designer Miles Nürnberger leaves to head up Dacia

Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos heads to Alfa Romeo, Klaus Busse shifts to Maserati

Design changes at the FCA Group see Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos appointed at Alfa Romeo, while Klaus Busse will have a more focused role

Jean-Pierre Ploué to lead Lancia’s revival

A somewhat forgotten brand, Lancia’s fortunes have flagged in recent years. Could its also-ran status be reversed under the tutelage of Jean-Pierre Ploué, Stellantis chief design officer?

Former Tata design boss Pratap Bose joins Mahindra

Mahindra has made a new role that will see former Tata design kingpin Pratap Bose act as design head for several different business sectors, from passenger cars to farm machinery

Aurelien Doisy appointed head of design Europe at Tata Motors

Changes to Tata’s design team are on-going, with Aurelien Doisy taking a new role as head of design Europe

François Leboine becomes new head of design at Fiat & Abarth

François Leboine will lead the design of new Fiat and Abarth models after overseeing concepts at Renault

Anders Warming announced as design director at Rolls-Royce

Anders Warming is the first design director at Rolls-Royce for nearly two years

T. Jon Mayer takes over exterior design at Volvo; Missoni Moves exclusively to Polestar

People changes at Volvo and Polestar underline the separation between the two brands

Pratap Bose leaves Tata Motors; Martin Uhlarik new design head

Martin Uhlarik is taking over from Pratap Bose as the global design head of Tata Motors

Yasutake Tsuchida named design director of Mazda North American Operations

Yasutake Tsuchida will head up all design operations at Mazda North American Operations

David Hilton joins Karma Automotive

Following two successful and informative years in China working for GAC, David Hilton has joined California-based Karma Automotive as senior design director global designs. Car Design News caught up with him on the eve of his appointment

Familiar faces suggest Stellantis is about evolution rather than revolution

Evolution rather than revolution seems to be the aim with the merger of PSA and Fiat Chrysler to form Stellantis. The new corporate structure is a roster of familiar faces

Moray Callum of Ford to retire

Moray Callum, Ford’s hugely influential VP of design, is due to retire

Luc Donckerwolke resigns from Hyundai

Surprise resignation at Hyundai: Luc Donckerwolke has resigned from his position as chief designer of the Group

Kia appoints Karim Habib to devise new design direction

Hyundai has announced that Infiniti’s departing head of design is moving to Seoul to guide the Kia brand

Who’s Where: Taisuke Nakamura promoted as Karim Habib leaves Infiniti

Having worked on the latest concepts from Infiniti, Taisuke Nakamura will now become head of design. We can’t wait to see what the man who spearheaded the Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Grand Turismo does with Infiniti EVs…

Shizuki Kajiyama RIP

Shizuki Kajiyama has passed away, in his home town of Hiroshima, Japan

Who’s Where: Pratap Bose promoted to Tata global design VP

Successful head of design reaches more senior status

NIO appoints Oliver Samson as Director of Exteriors

Who’s Where: Marc Lichte to head Audi Design, Wolfgang Egger moves to Italdesign

Audi’s chief designer Wolfgang Egger is to be replaced by senior VW designer Marc Lichte, according to company insiders. Egger is leaving to head Italdesign Giugiaro in Turin