Aussie to take charge of Holden design team
VT Commodore design head Mike Simcoe appointed Executive Director of GM's International Design OpsThe designer of Holden's most successful Commodore model, Mike Simcoe, has been named Executive Director of General Motors International Operations (GMIO) Design, effective next year.
Moving from his previous position of Executive Director North American Exterior Design and Global Architecture Strategy for GM, 53-year-old Simcoe will step into the newly created role, which will focus on further developing GM's operations in Australia and South Korea.
Simcoe will return to Australia for the role, after six years with GM in North America.
"This role will allow me to oversee the growth in GMIO design in both Korea and Australia, and to bring with me many of the learnings from my time with GM in the US," explained Simcoe.
"And, of course, I'm extremely pleased to be returning home to Australia, and to once again be working from the world-class Holden design centre, where I began my GM career almost 30 years ago," he said.
Commencing with Holden as a designer in 1983, Simcoe had subsequent appointments as Senior Designer and Chief Designer before becoming Design Director in 2001.
Of note, Simcoe supervised the genesis of the highly successful VT series Commodore and WH Statesman/Caprice range. He also oversaw the subsequent VX and VY upgrades, as well as the still current VE Commodore. He is possibly best remembered in Australia for the behind-the-scenes work on the Commodore-based V2 Monaro.
In 2003, Simcoe became GM's Executive Director Asia Pacific Design, a regional design role that incorporated responsibility for Holden design.
Simcoe then moved to the US in 2004 for his current role as Executive Director North American Exterior Design and Global Architecture Strategy. In this role he is responsible for all North Amercian GM vehicles' exterior design.
During his tenure, Simcoe has led design development of a long list of GM products including the GMC Terrain, Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Camaro and Chevrolet Equinox, as well as the Cadillac CTS range.
While his new role will have an Asia-Pacific focus, Simcoe will be based at Holden's Port Melbourne headquarters in Melbourne where he will report to Ed Welburn, the Vice President of Global Design.
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