Luc Donckerwolke appointed Genesis’ CBO

Luc Donckerwolke, the guy most closely connected with Genesis, is getting a bigger role at the company. The Chief Creative Officer of Genesis and the Hyundai Motor Group will also be recognised as the Chief Brand Officer of Genesis as of September 1.

Donckerwolke leveraged his design experience as CCO at a range of premium brands, including Bentley, Lamborghini, Skoda, and Audi, to “oversee design-related communications inside the group,” according to Genesis in a press statement. He will now be in charge of Genesis’ overall brand initiatives in the global market, as well as “creating true consumer interactions.”

“It is a great honor to be given a chance to grow the Genesis brand around the globe, At Genesis, Design is Brand and Brand is Design. It is, therefore, logical to expand my leadership in design to the brand, to resonate more closely with our growing customer base and provide the best luxury experiences.”

Luc Donckerwolke, CCO, Genesis.

Genesis claims that the move demonstrates the company’s commitment to design, and that Donckerwolke has been entrusted with expanding the brand’s global presence and developing a consistent and refined brand experience alongside COO Mike Song.

He was the head of design of Lamborghini from 1998 to 2004, and was responsible for the Diablo VT 6.0 in 2001, the Murciélago in 2002, and the Gallardo in 2004. Donckerwolke was appointed Bentley Director of Design in September 2012, replacing Dirk van Braeckel, who went to Volkswagen Group design. Bentley named Stefan Sielaff as his replacement in June 2015. Donckerwolke also designed the Audi A2 concept and production automobile, which was known for being inventive and ahead of its time at the time, as were most of his ideas.

Donckerwolke joined the Hyundai Motor Group in 2016, and was in charge of design for Genesis, Hyundai, and Kia until March 2020, when he decided to leave to focus on his health. He elected to return to the Hyundai Motor Group as Chief Creative Officer in November 2020.