Who's Where: High-profile re-organization at General Motors

General Motors' design division has been re-organized in a spate of high-profile restructuring that comes into effect on 1 August.

In Europe, David Lyon replaces Mark Adams as Vice President of Design for Opel/Vauxhall in Rüsselsheim while Adams moves Stateside to become Executive Director, Global Cadillac and Buick Design.

Ken Parkinson, currently Director North American Exterior Design/Global Architecture Strategy and Chevrolet Brand Champion will become Executive Director, Global Chevrolet and GMC Design.

Clay Dean moves to a new role as Director Advanced Design, leaving his current position as North American Advanced Design and Cadillac Brand Champion.

In GM Asia Pacific, Andrew Smith becomes Holden Design Director, completing the tri-continental reshuffle.

"This new structure provides a foundation to build and grow the design language of each of our brands moving forward," said Ed Welburn, GM Vice President for Global Design. "It gives our design teams a greater opportunity to create products and brands that have an emotional connection with our customers, and that continue to move our company forward."

Lyon will leave his current position as Executive Director, North American Interiors/Global Cross Brand Design, and Brand Champion for Buick and GMC, where he has built an impressive recent portfolio of products including the Buicks LaCrosse, Verano and Riviera concepts, the Chevrolet Volt, Corvette, Cadillac CTS, Escalade and Silverado.

"David Lyon is a proven and inspired design leader," said Karl-Friedrich Stracke, Opel/Vauxhall CEO. "I am excited that he will join the Opel/Vauxhall leadership team. At the same time I am grateful for the tremendous work that Mark Adams has done in transforming our Opel/Vauxhall language into its highly-successful and much-acclaimed theme."

Adams' work in Europe has been key to the company's success, which began with the Insignia and 2009, which of course is also the Buick Regal in the US and China.

By Owen Ready