Ex-Peugeot Designer Oleg Son Joins Kia

Kia Motors has appointed car designer Oleg Son, as Head of Kia Design China, tasked with leading the brand’s design activities in China.

Son will be based in Shanghai as Executive Director and Head of Kia Design China. He reports directly to President and Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer, and Head of Kia Design Center, Seon Ho Youn, and is responsible for managing the Kia design team located in Yantai.

He will work closely with the Hyundai-Kia R&D center in China, alongside other chief designers Gregory Guillaume in Europe, Tom Kearns in the US, and recently hired Head of Styling, Pierre Leclercq.

Son brings almost three decades worth of experience from the PSA Group - he worked on the Citroen C4 and was also involved with the Citroen ‘GT Gran Turismo’ and ‘Metropolis’ concept cars, in addition to paving way for the Citroen’s upmarket DS sub-brand.

His most recent projects have been the new DS3 and DS5 models. He was also responsible for launching PSA’s first satellite design studio, in Shanghai, in 2008.

He has a degree in Industrial and Transportation Design from the National School of Applied Arts and Metiers d'Art in Paris, and another in Transportation Design from the Royal College of Art in London. Son has lived and worked in Asia, North Africa and the United Kingdom at various points in his life.

Son is joining Kia at the beginning of November and will be involved in creating a long-term design strategy and focus on the development of new models for the Chinese market.