Former Holden visionary to leave key General Motors role

Michael Simcoe is stepping down from his role as GM’s head of design

The Australian who revived the Monaro, shaped the final Commodores and then took over global design for General Motors is calling it a day.

General Motors has announced that Michael Simcoe will step down from his position as senior vice president GM Global Design on July 1 after a 42-year career that began with Holden in 1983. He will be replaced by Bryan Nesbitt, who currently leads Cadillac’s design department.

Simcoe was identified as a rising talent early on and quickly progressed through the GM Holden ranks through the 1980s and into the 1990s. He came to prominence in 1998 when Holden revealed the stunning Coupe concept at the Sydney Motor Show, a modern interpretation of a two-door Holden that quickly became the revived Monaro in 2001.

Simcoe helped lead the Holden design department during the glory days of the early 2000s culminating in the 2005 VE Commodore. In 2011 he was promoted to executive director of General Motors International Operations Design and then in 2016 he was elevated to his current role.

Remarkably, Nesbitt will become just the eighth person to hold the title of General Motors’ design chief across the history of the automotive giant.

GM president (and one-time Holden boss) Mark Reuss praised Simcoe’s four-decade contribution to the company around the world.

“Michael is a visionary designer and leader,” Reuss said in a GM statement. “He has elevated automotive design not just at GM, but the world over. Under his leadership, GM Design has created a stunning vehicle portfolio that customers love. His focus on the customer, keen eye for detail, and an emphasis on the future made Michael everything we could have asked for in a chief designer. He also fostered a deep, collaborative relationship with engineering and manufacturing to push the boundaries of creativity and execution. Michael and his team have cemented design as a fundamental competitive advantage for GM.”

In his current role, based at GM headquarters in Detroit, Simcoe has overseen the design of all General Motors vehicles, including some of its most high-profile creations such as the Cadillac Lyriq, GMC Hummer EV and Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray.

Michael Simcoe with the Holden Monaro he helped revive

One of Simcoe’s final major projects for GM wasn’t designing a car but rather helping to renovate and update GM’s flagship Design West studio campus, which is set-up to create the future generations of vehicles for Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and more.

“It has been humbling to be a part of shaping the future of transportation and evolving automotive design, while ensuring that the intersection of art and technology is core to GM Design and our business,” Simcoe said. “GM has some of the most gifted designers and artisans in the world. My job has been to create the environment, and give them the tools to flourish and bring our vision to life. Under Bryan’s leadership, I know GM Design will continue to drive the company forward. He shares my belief in our team’s creative talent and their potential, and I’m excited to see how the next generation of GM Design influences the automotive landscape.”

Check out the video below for a Wall Street Journal look inside the new Design West studio campus, featuring an interview with Simcoe.