Who's Where: Maximilian Missoni joins Volvo as exterior design chief

Maximilian Missoni has been appointed exterior design chief at Volvo Cars. He will report to exterior design director Fedde Talsma and to Thomas Ingenlath, vice president design.

34-year-old Austrian-born Missoni joins the Swedish carmaker from Volkswagen where he worked from 2002, first working in Wolfsburg as a designer before being appointed senior exterior designer at the company's Advanced Design Center in Potsdam.

His new role in Gothenburg, Sweden, will involve developing Volvo's future exterior design language to strengthen the brand's presence in the premium segment.

During his time at Volkswagen he worked on both production and concept cars for the carmaker and the group's other brands, for example the 2011 Volkswagen XL1 and the 2003 Volkswagen Concept R roadster.

Missoni graduated in 2002 from London's Royal College of Art with a Master's Degree in Vehicle Design.

Missoni said: "The Volvo brand is very strong. It has a great heritage and for me stands for typical Scandinavian values such as a human-centric approach, which is becoming increasingly important these days.

"As the company moves forward, I feel there is a lot of potential within the Volvo design language to further support the brand's transformation and I look forward to working with Thomas in that challenge."

Ingenlath added his congratulations, saying: "Max is an incredibly talented designer and will be a valuable asset to our exterior design team.

"Volvo Cars is in the middle of an exciting transformation journey and Max is a great addition to the team as we aim to take Volvo design to the next level."

By Rufus Thompson