Oliver Heilmer is taking on a new assignment at BMW Group this August, stepping into the role of President of Designworks, the Munich-based organization’s creative agency in California.
Heilmer was previously head of interior design for BMW Automobiles in Munich, which he has headed up since 2013. He has now moved to Designworks’ headquarters in Newbury Park, California, just north of Los Angeles.
Formerly known as DesignworksUSA, Designworks is a creative consultancy working across multiple industries and focusing on mobility, product and user experience design, as well as on strategic brand and design consulting.
Founded in California in 1972 by Chuck Pelly, the global design consultancy now has offices in Munich and Shanghai. In April 2015, DesignworksUSA changed their name to Designworks and updated their website and corporate identity to better reflect their growth as a global company.
The creative outpost’s clients have included Boeing Business Jets, Embraer Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, John Deere, Advanced Medical Optics and Bavaria Yachts to name a few. Most recently the company revealed a collaboration with Puma shoes.
Taking over the top job at Designworks means Heilmer will be responsible for the company’s strategy, oversee the studios in North America, Europe and Asia, and spearhead the management of all the design teams.
Heilmer replaces Laurenz Schaffer, who has been President of Designworks since 2009 and is now switching to a management role at BMW Group Design.
