CDE Podcast

Lorenzo Oujeili, Exterior Designer at Volkswagen, joins the CDE Podcast for a deep dive into breaking into the car design industry, building a career through internships and persistence, and designing a “Volkswagen for everyone” in the EV era: Volkswagen ID. EVERY1. In this episode, Lorenzo shares his path from growing up in Emilia-Romagna and falling in love with concept cars, to internships at P...

Harm Lagaay, former Head of Design at Porsche, joins the CDE Podcast for a deep dive into one of the most influential design careers in modern automotive history—spanning Porsche’s turnaround years, BMW Technik, and the projects that shaped entire segments. In this episode, Harm shares how he entered the industry as a self-taught designer, what it was like joining Porsche in the early 70s, and how...

Dominic “Dom” Najafi, Global Design Director, Cadillac, Former Head of Studio and Exterior Design, GM Advanced Design Europe, joins the CDE Podcast for a deep dive into advanced automotive design, building creative teams from scratch, and how satellite studios can drive change inside a global OEM. In this episode, Dom shares what it really means to work in an advanced design studio—why GM set up a...

Eduardo Ramírez, Head of Hyundai Design Europe, joins the CDE Podcast to talk about careers in automotive design, customer-centric creativity, and why “fun” and experimentation still matter—especially in an industry being reshaped by electrification. In this episode, Eduardo traces his journey from the Canary Islands and motorsport culture to studying transportation design at Coventry University a...

Tisha Johnson (Slate, ex-Volvo) joins the CDE Podcast to talk about designing a radically affordable car—and why simplicity, usefulness, and real-world constraints can still lead to something genuinely desirable. In this episode, Tisha traces her passion for automotive design back to childhood in Southern California, reflects on what shaped her approach during her time at Volvo, and explains Slate...

Phil Zak, Executive Design Director, Global Chevrolet, joins the CDE Podcast for a deep dive into automotive design careers, creative decision-making, and the evolution of one of the industry's most iconic nameplates: Corvette. In this episode, Phil shares what it actually takes to become an automotive designer—the difference between the US and the european car market and the skills that matter mo...