Contechs appoints Christopher Hilts as US Head of Business Development

Global automotive design and engineering consultancy Contechs has bolstered its presence in the US with the appointment of Christopher Hilts as US Head of Business Development.

The company has experienced significant growth in its US business over the past 10 years, creating strong relationships with a number of leading OEMs in Michigan and California.

This new appointment will enable Contechs to expand its operations in the US market and provide more tailored support to its existing client base, according to the company.

Hilts, a former General Motors Design Director, has spent more than two decades working with global leaders in the industry and is known for his intuitive blend of design judgement and meticulous attention to detail.

During his 22-year tenure at General Motors, Christopher held several executive positions, including Global Director of Design for User Experience (UX) Studio and Creative Director of Design for Truck/SUV Interiors.

Automotive Industries (AI) asked Hilts to share his vision for Contechs’ growth and expansion in the US market under his leadership.

Hilts: Contechs before my arrival already had a bright future.

My purpose with joining Contechs is to build on the expertise within Contechs utilizing my skillset to creatively grow the business here in the US.

The auto industry is changing. It is holistically looking to move faster and create value while shrinking overheads.

This simply means that the business as we see it needs to be creative in its strategy and processes moving forward, success will be measured by speed and agility.

The expansion into the US will be focused on new relationships and use our global footprint to capitalize on speed and flexibility.

AI: With your extensive experience at General Motors, how do you plan to leverage that expertise to benefit Contechs’ clients?

Hilts: During my tenure with General Motors, I learned process, business acumen, and the ability to sell ideas to leadership, leveraging the assets of the organization to achieve success growing brands to reach record profits.

Ultimately the fundamentals are the same with Contechs, but what makes this position intriguing is that I am not limited to one single organization.

I now can interact with all OEMs, and understand the needs, curate solutions for each organization, not just in automotive – limitless possibilities!

AI: What are some key trends in automotive design and engineering that you believe will shape Contechs’ strategic direction in the coming years?

Hilts: I see the latest key trends for the industry being agility and speed moving forward.

The Contechs business model enables both, they it is limited to processes and best practices, but rather investing in its team members.

Contechs is thinking strategically about how to move forward, presenting value in every aspect of the business. Having a global approach to utilize resources onshore and offshore and the ability to utilize time and talent to optimize the workflow

This is appealing to everyone in the industry, it is quickly becoming how the world views business moving forward.

AI: What innovative design and engineering solutions Contechs is currently developing for the North American market?

Hilts: Clearly the addition of my role is an indicator that Contechs is focused on growth, and is serious about it.

Sharing Strategic Solutions for the US would be oversharing too early.

That said, the groundwork has already been laid through Contechs track record and ability to partner leveraging organizations focused on technology.

The success of Contechs is a testament of the quality of work provided by the team with clients like McLaren, LJR and Gordon Murry.

For North America, the focus will be in showcasing the portfolio and sharing the technical ability to clients who lack the ability to move quickly into production and hold to cost targets with goals that are continuously adjusting.

AI: How does Contechs plan to enhance its collaboration with leading OEMs in Michigan and California?

Hilts: The collaboration with US OEMs will funnel through me, but overall goal is growth. That starts with relationships, interaction, and introductions.

I have been fortunate enough to work with the industry’s most talented designers and engineers.

That gives me an opportunity to spark dialogue and build a network from within the OEMs. The business plan remains fluid (which it should) and will adjust as the US business begins to scale.

Contechs has not ruled out potential US offices and dedicated US based teams, depending on the needs of the industry.

AI: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the automotive industry today, and how is Contechs positioned to address them?

Hilts: The biggest challenge is agility.

The industry is so competitive and with the powertrain adjusting from ICE to EV, every OEM will need to remain flexible and adjust with customer demand.

Technology is wonderful, but at the end of the day customer acceptance and infrastructure will drive sales.

The offerings from Contechs range from sketch to validation, and the expertise within the organization can adjust from traditional OEMs to Start-Up’s.

Again, we adjust to our client’s needs and we are not tied to political objectives, or corporate visions that narrow scope. We will remain flexible to the needs of clients, and adjust our teams, not limited to a single pathway.

AI: In your opinion, how important is the integration of user experience (UX) design in modern vehicle development?

Hilts: During my tenure with General Motors, I spent time as the Global User Experience Director, and I cannot stress how important this role is.

It could change the perception of any product, or organization with one experience.

Contechs’ understand this philosophy and has taken steps to integrate this into the Design Team with design thinking and design strategies.

We treat the entire vehicle as an experience, starting with journey maps curating the experience from soup to nuts.

Organizations that focus on UX will lead the way into the future, and we plan on UX being integral to the development of each client.

AI: Please give us an example of a successful project or collaboration you led at General Motors that you’re particularly proud of.

Hilts: I am proud of all the work that I achieved at General Motors.

If I were to pick one project, it would be in my last assignment with the GMC team. In addition to reworking the brand philosophy and breathing a new design language into GMC (which is still being released).

As a team we were able to provide a vision and purpose to the brand.

The vision pushed the limits and provided purpose to the brand that until lately was simply a brand comprised of shared platforms and components.

Although the vision will never be publicly released, it gained the attention of the entire leadership team, and changed the way that the organization looked at technology road maps and integration.

AI: How do you plan to foster innovation within Contechs and encourage creative solutions across programs, platforms, and organizations?

Hilts: In my experience as a people leader, you provide a platform for innovation and encourage creative solutions by experimentation.

Never being afraid of failure, driving for results, and course correcting in the moment.

A perfect example of this is where the industry is today driving for EV, but customer acceptance in the US lagging a bit.

Correcting goals and visions based on customer demand and sales is the basis for innovation.

In addition to encouragement and innovation, I rely on resilience, transparency with my team, and passion which will foster innovation and creativity within the Contechs team.