Chris Hillman

Supporting product and leadership teams within complex development environments, including key account work with Geely Group (Lynk & Co, Zeekr), focusing on product systems, experience coherence, and delivery alignment. •  Worked across multiple concurrent initiatives. •  Led a 30-person organization and supporting capability build and operational stability.  •  Introduced improved workflows and digital collaboration approaches (including VR), reducing iteration cycles (3× faster).  •  15% lead time improvement.  •  Supported leadership teams with prioritization, program structuring, and decision-making in evolving environments.

Foster strategic investments and professional community development for sustained growth and lifelong learning. • Co-created investment and advisory platform supporting scalable ventures and cross-industry collaboration. • Advise founders on strategic growth, governance, and operational readiness.

Advising global mobility clients on electrification, autonomous systems, and digital transformation. • Lead strategic projects in sustainable and connected mobility, aligning technology with user and market needs. • Provide program guidance for market entry, platform strategy, and operational scaling.

• Supported design projects, teams and operations for next-gen electric vehicle development, ensuring timeline, budget, and quality adherence. • Led design teams to deliver scalable visual and technical solutions supporting EV platform objectives. • Coordinated cross-functional collaboration between engineering, product, and design leadership.

• Led and supported a multidisciplinary global organization, including senior leaders. • Represented the function at a global level and worked closely with executive stakeholders.

• Directed global digital and industrial design for multi-platform, multi-brand heavy machinery, aligning creative vision with corporate strategy. • Recruited and developed interdisciplinary global design team. • Strengthened brand positioning through operational openness, design and collaboration.

• Defined and implemented experience direction across global product platforms. • Contributed to ~15% faster execution and improved alignment across development organizations.

• Led operations, team coordination, and project execution in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment. • Drove efficiency improvements, cost control initiatives, and stakeholder alignment for large-scale industrial projects.

• Oversaw truck platform launches, managing scope, budget, schedule, and multi-site alignment. • Directed operations, team coordination, and stakeholder management to ensure on-time delivery.

• Led exterior and interior design development for several Mack Trucks projects, ensuring feature implementation, rugged identity and customer expectations were met. • Collaborated cross-functionally to drive innovation in durability, ergonomics, and brand differentiation.

• Led interior and cab exterior designs for major product renewals for Mack Trucks, ensuring brand authenticity and functional excellence. • Collaborated closely with engineering and marketing teams to balance aesthetics, ergonomics, and manufacturability. • Played a key role in major cab updates, logotype development, and premium trim enhancements.

• Produced 2D composites, CAD models, 3D visualizations, physical mockups, and presentations supporting decision-making.

• Developed concepts and solutions for consumer and medical products, collaborating with human factors, engineering, and clients to translate concepts into functional designs. • Produced CAD models, physical mock-ups, 3D visualizations, and presentations supporting decision-making.

• Developed interior and exterior vehicle concepts for next-generation minivan alongside cross-functional engineering team. • Produced 1/5th-scale clay model, feature concepts, presentations and competitor research around next-generation minivan.

Within my internationally focused Executive MBA program, I developed a strategic, data-driven leadership approach through an interdisciplinary curriculum spanning corporate finance, innovation management, digital leadership, and global strategy. Honing expertise in quantitative analysis, organizational behavior, and supply chain management, I applied these insights to complex, real-world business challenges. My master’s thesis, a textual analysis of strategic communications from the top 25 global automotive groups, explored how executive messaging evolved over time, offering key insights into industry shifts, competitive positioning, and leadership narratives. This experience sharpened my ability to navigate corporate transformation, drive data-backed decision-making, and lead high-impact initiatives in dynamic global markets.

My Bachelor of Fine Arts in Transportation Design at College for Creative Studies provided a rigorous foundation in automotive design, visual communication, and human-centered innovation. I developed expertise in vehicle packaging, digital modeling, rendering, and design strategy, refining my ability to balance aesthetics, engineering constraints, and user experience. My coursework integrated design theory, human factors, and sustainability, preparing me to tackle complex mobility challenges. For my senior thesis, I explored structural plastics in automotive design, developing an affordable urban youth car concept that demonstrated lightweight efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and forward-thinking mobility solutions.