Robert “Bob” Boniface was appointed director of Buick exterior design in April 2016. In this role, he leads a talented team of designers, sculptors and engineers creating the next generation of Buick vehicles.

Prior to joining Buick, Boniface was the long-time exterior design director for Cadillac, where he oversaw the development of the 2014 CTS, 2015 ATS Coupe, 2016 XT5 and CT6, as well as the latest V-Series vehicles. He also led the team that developed the exterior of the latest Cadillac Escala concept.

Earlier in his career, he was director of design for the Chevrolet Volt, where he led the design team in developing both the 2007 concept car as well as the production vehicle. He also served as director of General Motors Advanced Design Studio in Warren, MI where he worked on the “top secret” Camaro project, one of his proudest moments at GM. Boniface also directed the design of the hydrogen-powered Chevrolet Sequel concept.

Before joining GM, Boniface was the chief at DaimlerChrysler’s Advanced Product Design Studio. He directed architectural design of the minivan Stow-N-Go seating as well as Chrysler’s rear wheel drive 300C. Boniface was the lead designer for the 2002 Jeep Liberty, 1998 Dodge Intrepid and the 1996 Dodge Intrepid ESX Hybrid concept car.

In 2014, Boniface received the Detroit Free Press Automotive Leadership Award in Design. He also received the Young Leaders & Excellence Award from the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1998.

He graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Economics. In 1993, Boniface graduated with a bachelor’s of fine arts degree in Transportation Design from the College of Creative Studies in Detroit, MI.

In his free time, Boniface enjoys collecting and restoring vintage Italian cars.