Designworks Names New President and CEO

Charles W. Pelly, a 40-year veteran of the design industry and founder of Designworks/USA in Newbury Park, has named Henrik Fisker company president and chief executive.

Fisker will oversee all design and marketing activities for Designworks/USA globally. Pelly will continue to consult on certain projects, including the BMW Group, Nokia, Whirlpool, MCI, John Deere, Compaq and Haworth.

Pelly took Designworks/USA from a start-up operation in his garage to a top design company that offers automotive, transit, product, advanced communication and graphics consulting.

Besides the Newbury Park headquarters, the company has an office in Munich, Germany. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of the BMW Group in 1995. Designworks/USA was instrumental in the design of the BMW X5 Sports Activity Vehicle and the new BMW 3 Series.

Pelly is also the designer of the original Scarab sports car.

Fisker, 36, is a 10-year veteran of the BMW Group and has been director of automotive design in the U.S. for two years. A native of Denmark, he is a graduate of Art Center Europe in Vevey, Switzerland, and speaks multiple languages fluently.