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José Muñoz, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company (far right), and Szymon Walus, former Senior Vice President at Hyundai Motor Company (second from left). /Screenshot from Szymon Walus' LinkedIn account

Szymon Walus, the former Senior Vice President who oversaw Hyundai Motor Company's global business strategy and governance, has moved to British supercar brand McLaren as its head of strategy.

Walus was a key strategy executive who reported directly to Hyundai Motor President and CEO José Muñoz. The two also worked together at Hyundai after previously working at Nissan.

The move has drawn industry attention as a key executive who helped shape Hyundai's global business strategy takes charge of McLaren's future direction.

According to information gathered by AsiaToday as of Nov. 13, Walus, a former Senior Vice President at Hyundai Motor, recently joined McLaren Automotive as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO).

Walus joined Hyundai Motor in August 2022. In April last year, following Muñoz's appointment as president, he was promoted to Senior Vice President and Head of Strategy and Governance, emerging as a key figure in the company's strategic leadership. He subsequently led an organization responsible for establishing Hyundai's mid- to long-term business direction and decision-making structure.

In particular, Walus oversaw Hyundai Motor's business strategy planning and the operation of its governance office. He also handled related responsibilities for Hyundai Motor's Americas strategic region, giving him a role in the company's broader North American operations.

Having gained experience in both Hyundai's global strategy and North American business, Walus reportedly left the company about three weeks ago.

His professional ties with Muñoz have also attracted attention. Before joining Hyundai, Walus held major positions at Nissan Motor in Europe, Asia and the United States.

Muñoz also worked at Nissan before joining Hyundai, overseeing global sales and business operations and serving in positions including Chief Performance Officer (CPO). Drawing on their experience in global business at Nissan, the two continued working together at Hyundai.

At McLaren, Walus will be responsible for developing the company's next growth strategy. He is expected to formulate mid- to long-term plans to expand into new vehicle segments, enter new business areas and develop new markets.

Attention is now focused on whether he can use his experience steering Hyundai's global business strategy to drive McLaren's business expansion and portfolio diversification.

An industry official said, "It is noteworthy that an executive with experience in business operations and strategic planning across the global automotive industry has moved from a key position at Hyundai to become McLaren's head of strategy."

                                                                                                            Kim Jeong-kyu