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Forty-two-year-old designer, Oliver Heilmer, has been appointed the head of MINI Design, effective September 1, 2017, in a strategic realignment of the BMW Group Design unit, according to a statement issued in Munich by the German sports carmaker. The designer, who 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, is currently president of Designworks, a BMW Group subsidiary with design studios in California, Munich and Shanghai.
The statement said the realignment is in line with the company’s corporate strategy, tagged “NEXT 100 Vision Vehicles”, unveiled last year for the company’s centenary with the BMW Group design team led by Adrian van Hooydonk demonstrating its vision and enormous creative potential. It added that the realignment of the BMW Group design team is also part of corporate strategy NUMBER ONE > NEXT, which is the next logical step as the 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, with a major focal point being the design of brand-specific, interactive digital in-car experiences.
“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.”
Heilmer, according to the new arrangement, will lead the MINI design team from September, while Christopher Weil remains in charge of Exterior Design, with Kerstin Schmeding responsible for Colour and Material Design, just as the Interior Design will be headed by Christian Bauer from June 1.
Heilmer will be succeeded as president of Designworks by Holger Hampf with effect from September 1, 2017. 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.”
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.”
