Munich. In the “NEXT 100 Vision Vehicles” unveiled
last year for the company’s centenary, the BMW Group design team led
by Adrian van Hooydonk demonstrated its vision and enormous creative
potential. The realignment of the BMW Group design team as part of
corporate strategy NUMBER ONE NEXT is the next logical step. BMW
Group Design is laying the foundation for transforming visions into
reality in upcoming vehicle generations and creating a digital and
emotional mobility experience for customers.
Oliver Heilmer will take over as head of MINI Design
effective 1 September 2017. The 42-year-old designer is currently
president of Designworks, a BMW Group subsidiary with design studios
in California, Munich and Shanghai. Heilmer has been part of the BMW
Group design team for 17 years and was responsible for interior design
for the BMW brand up until 2016.
“The ‘MINI VISION NEXT 100’ provided an impressive demonstration of
MINI’s future viability,” explained Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW
Group Design. “I am confident that the MINI design team under Oliver
Heilmer will implement this vision of the brand in future vehicle
models and win over MINI customers. With his design expertise and
experience, Oliver Heilmer combines continuity with the freshness and
vision MINI stands for.”
In the MINI design team Heilmer will lead from September, Christopher
Weil remains in charge of Exterior Design, with Kerstin Schmeding
responsible for Colour and Material Design. Interior Design will be
headed by Christian Bauer from 1 June.
Effective 1 September 2017, Heilmer will be succeeded as president of
Designworks by Holger Hampf. Hampf was a member of
the Designworks management team from 2002 and responsible for Product
Design up until 2010, when he moved to an external design studio.
Since returning to the BMW Group in 2014, the 50-year-old’s
responsibilities have included user interface design and realigning
the design team for digitalisation. “For me, Designworks is more than
just a design studio; it is the strategic interface to our customers’
future living environment,” explained BMW Group Chief Designer Adrian
van Hooydonk. “I am delighted to welcome Holger Hampf as president. He
is an experienced colleague who knows Designworks well and brings the
expertise we need for an increasingly digital customer experience.”
BMW Group Design makes strategic realignment for the future
The personnel changes and strengthening of key competence areas are
part of the BMW Group Design realignment under corporate strategy
NUMBER ONE NEXT. The focus will be on shorter development cycles,
increasing digitalisation of design processes, as well as products and
mobility experiences. Small, agile project teams will also form part
of the new structure.
A major focal point will be the design of brand-specific, interactive
digital in-car experiences. Gernot Schmierer, who
will take over as head of User Experience Design for the BMW Group
effective 1 September, will focus on this topic. Schmierer will be
responsible for vehicle-based design of interactive experiences – from
vision to actual implementation.
As previously announced, Jozef Kabaň will take over
as head of the BMW Automobiles design team in the second half of the
year. Domagoj Dukec has been responsible for design
for the BMW i and BMW M sub-brands since 1 March 2017. Giles
Taylor remains in charge of design for Rolls-Royce Motor
Cars, with Edgar Heinrich responsible for BMW
Motorrad design. Laurenz Schaffer assumed the
position of head of Division Management, Design Identity and Context
Research in November 2016, while Werner Haumayr heads
Group Design Strategy, Concepts, Technologies, Models and Experience.
“The whole team is highly motivated and excited about leading our
brand design into a new era,” explained BMW Group Chief Designer Head
Adrian van Hooydonk. “The decisive success factor in our industry
remains the customer experience. The BMW Group design team will ensure
that this experience remains emotionally-rewarding in the future,
increasingly digital, world of mobility.”
If you have any queries, please contact:
Corporate Communications
Jochen Frey, Business and Finance Communications, HR
Jochen.Frey@bmw.de
Cypselus von Frankenberg, Head of Innovations and Design Communications
Cypselus.von-Frankenberg@bmw.de
Media website:
www.press.bmwgroup.com
Email: presse@bmw.de
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW
Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and
motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services.
As a global company, the BMW Group operates 31 production and assembly
facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than
140 countries.
In 2016, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.367 million cars and
145,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax was approximately
€ 9.67 billion on revenues amounting to € 94.16 billion. As of 31
December 2016, the BMW Group had a workforce of 124,729 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established
ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,
comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to
conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.
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