Walter de Silva, the Head of Volkswagen Group Design, received the ‘Compasso d’Oro’ (Golden Compass) Award earlier this week in recognition of his achievements during his 40-year career.
The prize, which has been awarded by the Italian Association of Industrial Design 22 times since its creation in 1954, is considered to be one of the most renowned Italian design prizes. It is awarded to people who have made outstanding contributions to the fields of design, research, teaching, production and distribution.
Brief biography
- Head of Design at Alfa Romeo, 1986-1999
- Head of SEAT Design, 1999-2002. Responsible for the Salsa concept and Tango roadster concept
- Head of Design for the Audi brand group, which included Audi, Lamborghini and SEAT, from 2002 to 2007. He was heavily involved in the design of the 2004 Audi A6, Audi Q7, 2006 Audi TT and the 2007 Audi A5
- Head of Volkswagen Group Design from February 2007. He has been closely involved with the development of the 2008 Volkswagen Golf, 2008 Passat CC and the 2008 Scirocco
- He has received several design awards including the Design Prize of the Federal Republic of Germany – the highest official design award in Germany – for the Audi A5 in February 2010
SEAT Salsa concept
SEAT Tango concept
