Albert Biermann, a central figure in making Hyundai Group vehicles as good to drive as they are today, has announced his retirement. The executive will step down from his role as President and Head of the Research and Development Division for the Group. He will, however, continue to work for the company in a diminished capacity.

As Executive Technical Advisor, Biermann will advise the Hyundai Group on the development of new products and future technologies. Although he will now be based in Europe, the automaker says the executive’s expertise will contribute to the development of urban air mobility, robotics, and hydrogen fuel cells. He will also support the development of coming electrified performance vehicles and pass his expertise on to future generations.

“It has been a tremendous pleasure and honor for me to work for Hyundai Motor Group and lead our engineering division to become a ‘second-to-none’ R&D center in the entire automotive industry,” said Biermann. “Now, our vehicles standout apart from the competition in many aspects and embody our strong engineering expertise and commitment.”

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The executive joined Hyundai in 2015 following 31 years at BMW, where he was in charge of, among other things, the M sport division. When he joined the Hyundai Group, he moved to Namyang, Korea, and led the development of new Hyundai, Genesis, and Kia models. He also played a key role in establishing Hyundai’s N brand.

“Thanks to Albert’s tireless efforts, unwavering dedication, and prodigious passion for the company, we have been able to achieve many great accomplishments across our vehicle lineups that it would be impossible to name them all,” said Euisun Chung, Executive Chair of Hyundai Motor Group. “His commitment to delivering the very highest engineering standards has played a key role in our Group becoming one of the top global automotive leaders.”

Reports from earlier this week suggested that both Biermann and Peter Schreyer, Hyundai’s head of design, would be departing to facilitate the company’s transformation into a mobility provider, not just an automaker. No news has yet arrived about Schreyer.

Separately, Genesis announced today that it has appointed Graeme Russel as its chief brand officer. The executive will be in charge of product and retail communications in the future.