Hyundai Motor replaces lead designer, R&D head in major reshuffle
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Hyundai Motor Group said on Friday it replaced its top foreign executives in design and research & development (R&D) in the latest regular reshuffle that includes more than 200 promotions to senior positions, in a generational change under the new leadership of Chairman Euisun Chung.
Peter Schreyer, a renowned former Audi designer who has led Hyundai Motor's design management, is stepping down and will serve as an adviser to the automobile company, Hyundai said in a press release.
Albert Biermann, the head of Hyundai's R&D division, will be replaced by Park Jung-guk, president and head of the hydrogen fuel cell division at Hyundai, the company said. Biermann will continue to serve as a technical adviser.
Joining the automaker's high-end Genesis brand as the new chief brand officer is Graeme Russell, known for his long stints in luxury car marketing for Bentley Motors and as brand ambassador for the Macallan.
Russell will lead Genesis' global brand, product and retail communications, reports Yonhap news agency.
Hyundai also promoted 203 employees to senior executives, the largest ever, according to the company, which marks a generational change after Chairman Chung, who succeeded his father, Chung Mong-koo, in October last year, took the helm of the country's No. 2 auto conglomerate.
The latest reshuffle signals that the junior Chung, 50, will further push his ambitious drive for future mobility, such as hydrogen-powered cars, self-driving, infotainment and other advanced information and communications technologies, to boost the automaker's competitiveness.
About a third of the newly-promoted executives are in their 40s, with about 37 percent of the R&D staff earning promotions, according to Hyundai.
