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J Mays
Title: Group Vice President, Design, and Chief Creative Officer
J Mays is group vice president, Design, and chief creative officer, Ford Motor Company.
He is responsible for shaping the design direction of Ford Motor Company’s eight global brands – Ford, Lincoln , Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin. In addition, through the expanded role he assumed Jan. 1, 2005 , Mays invests even more time working with individual brands to create and support more long-range strategic design visions.
Mays, 50, has led the development of significant concept vehicles including the Ford Fairlane, Shelby GR-1 and ‘427,’ as well as the Jaguar F-Type and Volvo Safety Car Concept. He has also played an instrumental role in redesigning Ford Motor Company’s auto show display stand.
In addition, he has been instrumental in creating several key new production models including the Aston Martin DB9, Land Rover LR3/Discovery, Ford GT and the all-new Ford Shelby Cobra GT500.
Mays, who was born in Pauls Valley, Okla., launched his automotive design career at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena , Calif.
Following graduation in 1980, he joined Audi AG in Ingolstadt , Germany , as an exterior designer.
He moved to Munich in 1983 to work for BMW and returned to Audi the following year as a senior designer, where he worked to develop production model proposals for both Volkswagen and Audi. The Audi AVUS concept car, an iconic, polished aluminum celebration of Germany ’s legacy of automotive performance and technology, marked the highlight of his return.
In 1989, Mays returned to the U.S. as Volkswagen of America’s chief designer in its Simi Valley , Calif. , Design Center , where he was responsible for the design and branding of the Volkswagen Concept 1, known today as the New Beetle.
He returned to Germany in 1993 as Audi’s design director responsible for worldwide design strategy, development and execution.
Mays shifted gears in 1995, as vice president of Design Development for SHR Perceptual Management, an ideation, branding and design consultancy that worked for numerous automotive companies, including Ford.
Mays joined Ford Motor Company in 1997 as vice president, Design and was named group vice president in 2003.
During his tenure with Ford, he has received numerous professional awards and recognition for his designs. Mays’ design philosophy and a cross-section of his vehicles were the subject of an exhibition called “Retrofuturism: The Car Design of J Mays” at the Geffen Contemporary of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles in November 2002. In addition, he received the Harvard Design School annual Excellence in Design Award in February 2002. In September 2002, he received the Don Kubly Professional Attainment Award from the Art Center.
In 2004, he was named among Fast Company magazine’s inaugural “Masters of Design” standouts.