Cadillac ATS Coupe Media Drive – Executive Bios
Bob Boniface
Director of Design
Cadillac Exteriors
There was a time when the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” would
have been an apropos description of Bob Boniface’s career interests and
talents. By day, the 1987 Vanderbilt University graduate had the appearance
of a young financier, with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and economics
and a promising career track in mutual funds. However by night, Bob
cultivated his true passion and calling – sketching cars.
Born the youngest of eight children, Boniface says he felt a bit of a black
sheep for not following his siblings into the medical field. “I’ve been drawing
cars since I was four and always dreamed of designing them one day,” he
says. “One of my sisters eventually talked me into following my dreams by
going back to school for an art degree “
That decision proved auspicious. A mere five years after his 1993 graduation
from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Boniface received the Young
Leadership and Excellence Award from the Automotive Hall of Fame for his
breakthrough work at Chrysler.
Boniface joined GM Design in 2004 as the Advanced Design Studio Director
in Warren and spearheaded an impressive portfolio of concept vehicles,
including the fuel cell Sequel, groundbreaking Camaro and Chevrolet Volt.
Moreover, when the Volt gained production approval, Boniface became its
design director.
Bob is currently the Director of Cadillac Exterior Design, leading a talented
team of designers, sculptors, engineers and support staff creating the next
generation of Cadillac vehicles.
Bob’s a car guy cover to cover – doing what he loves by day and, as his
father did before him, collecting and restoring classic cars in his free time.
Dave Leone
Executive Chief Engineer
GM Global Performance Luxury Cars
Dave Leone was named Executive Chief Engineer, Global Performance
Luxury Cars effective August 1, 2012. Additionally, Leone was named the
Cadillac product Brand Lead Executive Chief Engineer, a position created to
drive brand focus through product content, design, engineering as well as
commercialization.
In these roles, Leone leads a team of chief engineers who oversee the
development performance luxury vehicles from inception to launch. Leone
has been the leading force behind such vehicles as the award-winning
Cadillac ATS, the 2013 North American Car of the Year, all-new 2014
Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 and Chevrolet SS.
Prior to this appointment, Leone was the Global Vehicle Line Executive and
Global Vehicle Chief Engineer, RWD and Performance Vehicles. In this
position, he received numerous awards for the 2008 CTS including
MotorTrend’s Car of the Year, Car and Driver’s 10 Best Cars and a Consumer
Report Recommended Buy.
He also held the position of Vehicle Chief Engineer, XLR and Director of
Interiors. Leone has had extensive experience within GM engineering having
also worked with the ride and handling development team, validation testing
and chassis group among other positions. He began his career with GM in
1979.
Leone received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from
Oakland University and a Masters in Business Administration from the
Wayne State University in 1985. He also serves on the Board of Advisors for
Wayne State’s Business School and is a member of the Society of
Automotive Engineers.
David Masch
Chief Engineer
Cadillac ATS
David Masch is the Cadillac ATS Vehicle Chief Engineer for General Motors.
In his 33 years of GM Engineering and Program Management experience, the
ATS winning the North America Car of the Year honor is one of his most
proud moments.
David began his General Motors career in Computer Aided Engineering at the
Technical Center in Warren. He developed Chassis / Structure and
suspension on Corvette. He was a Lead Development Engineer for Ride &
Handling, Noise & Vibration, Ergonomics, Seat Comfort, etc. at the GM
Proving Grounds in Milford. He had several Engineering roles in Chassis &
Body. And later held leadership roles in Advanced Engineering and Program
Engineering Management.
David earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) and a
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME), both from the
University of Michigan.
Jim Vurpillat
Director
Cadillac Global Marketing
Jim Vurpillat, Cadillac’s Global Director of Marketing, is responsible for
Cadillac’s brand and marketing strategies. With his leadership, Cadillac has
successfully launched a number of new vehicles in the past eight years
starting with the CTS and SRX, and now the new XTS luxury sedan and ATS
luxury sports sedan. Additionally, Jim led the reintroduction of Cadillac into
sports car racing with the high performance CTS-V Coupe. In addition to his
work in the U.S., Jim is focused on Cadillac’s growth emerging markets like
China, Russia and the Middle East.
Prior to his current role, Jim held a number of positions at General Motors
ranging from managing major brand partnerships and sponsorships; to
advertising campaigns; to market research.
Jim has a bachelor-of-science degree in marketing and MBA from the
University of Dayton, Ohio. When not at work, he loves being outdoors –
golfing or skiing!
Uwe Ellinghaus
Chief Marketing Officer
Global Cadillac
Uwe Ellinghaus is Chief Marketing Officer, Global Cadillac, a position leading
all brand strategy and marketing efforts for Cadillac worldwide. Ellinghaus
joined Cadillac Jan 1, 2014 to further the brand’s ongoing expansion and
development.
Ellinghaus has many years of leadership positions with strong luxury brands,
including a long background in the luxury automotive space. He joined
Cadillac from Montblanc International, where he served as Executive Vice
President of Marketing and Sales from late 2012 to 2013.
Ellinghaus was with BMW Group in a number of marketing and leadership
roles from 1998 – 2012. He began his career there in BMW’s central
marketing department in Munich, Germany. He was appointed General
Manager of Market and Trend Research in 2001 with responsibility for BMW,
MINI and Rolls-Royce. In 2004, he was appointed to Marketing Director,
BMW UK (Ltd.), the brand’s third largest market.
In 2008, Ellinghaus was promoted to Vice President Brand Communication,
responsible for brand marketing and sponsorships including sports marketing
and motorsport. In early 2010, he was promoted to the highest ranking
marketing position within BMW globally, responsible for brand strategy and
marketing operations. In this capacity, Ellinghaus was awarded “Brand
Manager of the Year” 2012 by the German national newspaper FAZ, and the
German Design Council, among other honors. He left BMW Group in October
2012 for the chief marketing position at Montblanc in Hamburg, Germany.
Brian Smith
Exterior Design Manager
Cadillac
Brian has been with GM Design for 19 years. His most notable projects
include the 2003 Cadillac Sixteen concept which was awarded Best of Show
at the 2003 North American International Auto Show and won the award for
Concept Car of the Year, the 2006 Camaro concept and 2010 production
model, and the 2009 Cadillac Converj concept. His experience also includes
international assignments in Sweden with Saab, and in Coventry, England.
Since early 2009, he has worked as Exterior Design Manager for the 2013
ATS, 2014 CTS, and other upcoming production Cadillac models. Smith
studied design at the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Art,
Architecture and Planning and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in
Industrial Design in 1995.
Ken Kornas
ATS Global Product Manager
Cadillac
Ken Kornas is a core member of the ATS cross functional vehicle line team
responsible for total program management from inception through end of
production. He represents the voice of Cadillac and of the global luxury
customer and was instrumental in helping to define and execute the ATS
wins and wows including content, features, executions, packaging, pricing
and messaging.
Ken has worked on Cadillacs since 1986 and has held positions in
Manufacturing, Test and Development, Validation, Design and Release,
International Regulations, Customer Relations and Global Product
Management.
Ken earned, with honors, an Executive Master in Business Administration
(EMBA) degree from Michigan State University and a Bachelor of Science in
Mechanical Engineering (BSME) degree from Kettering University (formerly
GMI Engineering & Management Institute).