Moray Callum

Meet Moray Callum, the 2021 SACI Alumni Hall of Fame inductee.

“I am really honoured to be inducted into the SACI Alumni Hall of Fame. It is one thing to be recognised within your own community and environment, but when that recognition stretches further and includes your alma matter, it is even more special. When I chose to attend Edinburgh Napier many years ago, I had no idea that the education I would receive would help me truly achieve my dreams. That in itself is reward enough. This recognition is the icing on the cake.”

Moray Callum is one of the auto industry’s most influential design leaders. He has recently retired from his role as Vice President for Design at Ford Motor Company after spending 20 years at the multinational automaker.

“I am very proud of the work my teams have achieved throughout my career. I have been privileged to lead design teams that have worked on some of the world’s most iconic vehicles, such as the two best-selling sportscars, Ford Mustang and Mazda MX5; the Ford F-series – the best-selling vehicle in America; the Ford Transit – the world’s best-selling commercial van; and more recently the return of another icon, the Ford Bronco.”

Moray Callum, wearing a dark-coloured suit and white shirt, smiling at the camera

Initially planning to be an architect, Moray Callum changed gear and studied Industrial Design at Edinburgh Napier instead.

“My class was a very eclectic group of students from all backgrounds. Like me, I think they were all looking for something less traditional.”

“I remember my first day walking into class looking around at the others thinking that they were all a bunch of misfits, and I will never get on with them. Later, I found out most of them thought the same and I was one of the misfits! Of course, we went on to become best of friends. At one point six of us were living in the same flat.”

Many of the class still keep in touch and there was a reunion in 2016 to mark 40 years since they had first met. The group stopped by their old campus and paid a visit to some former student haunts.

“We tried to relive our youth by drinking and playing frisbee on Bruntsfield Links, neither to the same success as we remembered.”

Moray didn’t know what career the course would lead him to, but he was attracted to the diverse nature of the curriculum, with it being a mix of engineering, science and design, and that it offered the opportunity to gain industry experience. It was while on placement at car manufacturer, Chrysler UK’s, design studio in Whitley, Coventry, that Moray decided what route he was going to take: he was going be a car designer!

After finishing his studies at Edinburgh Napier in 1980, Moray received sponsorship from Chrysler to study transportation design in London. He returned to Chrysler once he’d completed his degree. A year later the company was bought over by the PSA Group, known as PSA Peugeot Citroën, and shut down the Research and Development centre in England. Moray was offered the chance to relocate to a revamped studio in France and jumped at the opportunity. His stint in France was the first of many international roles Moray has had in his distinguished career.

“I spent five enjoyable years in France. Professionally it was challenging learning the internal politics of having competing studios under the same brand. However, I realised that living abroad and experiencing new cultures and ways of working were something that I loved doing.”

In 1988, Moray was given the opportunity to move to Turin, Italy, to work at Ghia Carrozzeria. Although a historic car repair and restoration facility, it was owned by Ford which afforded Moray the opportunity to work on a number of brands under the Ford umbrella, including Jaguar, Aston Martin, Mazda and AC Cars.

After seven years in Italy, Moray moved to Detroit to take up a position as Design Manager at Ford.

“Although giving up the autonomy and freedom given to me at Ghia, I understood that this was the right step to learn about the bigger picture and truly realise corporate culture.”

The next big step for Moray was to take on the role of Global Head of Design for Mazda Motor Corporation in Hiroshima, Japan. Moray spent five years developing Mazda’s global portfolio before returning to the USA to take up a Design Director position. In 2013 Moray was appointed Global Vice President of Design for Ford Motor Company, becoming the 7th Design VP in its history and the first non-American to hold the role.

“The biggest challenge I think all designers have is educating others on the value of good design. In a business environment where attributes, features, and performance can be easily measured and have metrics assigned to them, design is the great anomaly.

“Firstly, with design being subjective, everyone has an opinion which you have to handle carefully but decisively. Secondly, when cost is being debated, the designer’s job is a combination of collaboration, negotiation and often confrontation, arguing the case for content and experiences that the consumer will value and help differentiate the product.”

Moray retired on 1st May 2021 after a long and highly successful career in car design. His interests outside of work unsurprisingly fall into two categories: cars and design. He plans on spending his well-earned retirement concentrating on personal car projects.

Moray offers his advice to someone wanting to follow in his footsteps

“I think the usual adage of don’t give up on your dreams is perfectly apt, but I would also add grab every opportunity and do not be over idealistic.

At one point in my career, I was working for Peugeot in France, my brother was working for Ford in England we had a conversation at Christmas about our careers. I was reasonably full of myself now being an international designer working for a European company, I apparently declared to my brother that there are three things I would never want to do:

1. Work for Ford
2. Work in Detroit
3. Work in Japan

He enjoys reminding me of that conversation.”

A grey model of a Ford GT car sitting on a grey table The SACI Alumni Hall of Fame is yet another accomplishment in Moray’s career.

A plaque will be installed at Edinburgh Napier’s Merchiston campus signifying Moray’s inclusion in the Hall of Fame, joining the other alumni who have previously been inducted. Each plaque has an object attached which is unique to the inductee.

"I picked the Ford GT sculpture because it was one of my favourite projects. To be given the chance to design the car that would take Ford back and win LeMans - the world's oldest sports car endurance race - after 50 years is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity... and it looks cool!”

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“My class was a very eclectic group of students from all backgrounds. Like me, I think they were all looking for something less traditional.”

“We tried to relive our youth by drinking and playing frisbee on Bruntsfield Links, neither to the same success as we remembered.”

“I spent five enjoyable years in France. Professionally it was challenging learning the internal politics of having competing studios under the same brand. However, I realised that living abroad and experiencing new cultures and ways of working were something that I loved doing.”

“Although giving up the autonomy and freedom given to me at Ghia, I understood that this was the right step to learn about the bigger picture and truly realise corporate culture.”

“The biggest challenge I think all designers have is educating others on the value of good design. In a business environment where attributes, features, and performance can be easily measured and have metrics assigned to them, design is the great anomaly.

"I picked the Ford GT sculpture because it was one of my favourite projects. To be given the chance to design the car that would take Ford back and win LeMans - the world's oldest sports car endurance race - after 50 years is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity... and it looks cool!”

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“My class was a very eclectic group of students from all backgrounds. Like me, I think they were all looking for something less traditional.”

“We tried to relive our youth by drinking and playing frisbee on Bruntsfield Links, neither to the same success as we remembered.”

“I spent five enjoyable years in France. Professionally it was challenging learning the internal politics of having competing studios under the same brand. However, I realised that living abroad and experiencing new cultures and ways of working were something that I loved doing.”

“Although giving up the autonomy and freedom given to me at Ghia, I understood that this was the right step to learn about the bigger picture and truly realise corporate culture.”

“The biggest challenge I think all designers have is educating others on the value of good design. In a business environment where attributes, features, and performance can be easily measured and have metrics assigned to them, design is the great anomaly.

"I picked the Ford GT sculpture because it was one of my favourite projects. To be given the chance to design the car that would take Ford back and win LeMans - the world's oldest sports car endurance race - after 50 years is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity... and it looks cool!”

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