General Motors Announces Resignation Of Its Lead Designer

General Motors Company GM announced on Thursday that Ed Welburn, Vice President of GM's Global Design, will retire in June following a successful 44-year career with the company. Welburn has led GM Design since 2003, and globally since 2005. Under his watch, the company built a network of 10 design centers in 7 countries. He also oversaw a team of 2,500 employees across many countries and led the design development of every GM concept and production car, truck and crossover globally. Michael Simcoe, a 33-year veteran of GM Design and Vice President of GM International Design will replace Welburn. Simcoe will serve as only the company's 7th design leader. Mark Reuss, executive vice president, Global Product Development and Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, announced Simcoe's promotion and commended Welburn. "Given his deep global experience and passion for breakthrough design, Michael is the right person to lead GM Global Design," said Reuss. "He is known for his ability to take diverse ideas and mold them into great products that surprise and delight our customers." "Ed's team turns out one award-winning product after another … and his strong bench will keep GM Design on top for years to come," Reuss also said. Shares of General Motors were trading lower by nearly 2.50 percent mid-Thursday afternoon.