Mr Max Wolff
After 20 years, Max Wolff is still passionate about design, cars and the automotive industry. He’s an accomplished design leader who’s spent the past decade reshaping the product portfolios of two luxury automotive brands.
Max has extensive experience working in Asia and the US, and with teams in Europe and South America. He’s created, nurtured and matured design studios for brands at all ends of the spectrum, from Daewoo to Lincoln. He’s built and managed small and large teams, and has successfully worked on emerging technologies and blue-sky concepts. A proven leader, he’s able to get the best from teams, and uses his knowledge and passion to drive all areas to enable design and product leadership.
Max spent his formative years in north inner-city Melbourne. He was always creative, loved to draw, and when his interest in cars became apparent at an early age, a career as an automotive designer was obvious.
Max came to Monash and studied industrial design. In 1998, he was offered a position at General Motors Holden Design under the guidance of Mike Simcoe. During that time he worked on many projects, and swiftly advanced into a senior and then assistant chief designer position.
In 2003, Max moved to Seoul, Korea, where he was part of the General Motors Daewoo design team. By the end of that tenure, Max was leading a team for the global small vehicle as design director.
From Seoul, he moved to Detroit. There he was responsible for running the exterior design team for Cadillac. In his three years in the position, he overhauled the entire sedan lineup.
Max began his Ford Motor Company career in 2011 as director, Lincoln Design. After four years at Lincoln, having established the team, a dedicated studio space, as well as delivering Lincoln’s first small luxury utility, the MKC, Max moved back to Melbourne to run the Ford Design Studio in Campbellfield.
Max now divides his time between Melbourne and Shanghai as he guides and expands the Ford China design team. He believes his best work is yet to come, but projects he’s proud of include the Holden SSX Concept, the Chevrolet Sonic, the Cadillac ATS and the 2012 Lincoln MKC Concept.