Christopher McKinnon
VP, Head of Product and Product Director Office of Europe Hyundai Motor Europe

Christopher McKinnon is Vice President, Head of Product and Product Director Office for Europe at Hyundai Motor Europe, a role he assumed in January 2026. In this position, he leads the newly established Group Product and Product Director Office Europe and is responsible for strengthening product alignment between Hyundai Motor’s European operations and its global product organization. 

Working across the Hyundai and Genesis brands, Christopher focuses on ensuring that the requirements of European customers and markets are reflected earlier and more consistently in future product decisions. He also supports closer integration between regional and global operations, accelerates product planning, and contributes to the development of a unified, future-focused product portfolio for Europe. 

Christopher has more than 25 years of experience in the automotive industry. Before joining Hyundai Motor Europe, he held senior product leadership positions in Sweden, most recently serving as Vice President and Vehicle Cluster Product Owner. In this role, he led a major vehicle program, defining its strategic direction and overseeing its development from initial concept through to key delivery milestones.

Prior to this, Christopher held senior automotive product marketing and brand management positions in the United Kingdom. His responsibilities included product portfolio strategy, vehicle planning, and brand positioning.

Earlier in his career, Christopher spent more than a decade in product-focused roles in Sweden, including positions as Global Product Manager and Group Product Manager. During this period, he gained extensive experience in international automotive product strategy, product lifecycle management, and cross-functional coordination. 

With his extensive background in global product planning, brand management, and vehicle program leadership, Christopher plays a central role in shaping Hyundai Motor’s European product strategy. His focus is on strengthening collaboration, accelerating decision-making, and ensuring that future products respond effectively to the evolving needs of European customers.

[Vortrag] From Software-Defined to Intelligence-Defined: Turning AI into Customer Value

The transition towards the AI-defined vehicle is not simply the next stage of automotive technology. It represents a fundamental change in how vehicles are developed, experienced and improved throughout their lifetime. For customers, however, the value of AI will not be determined by computing power or technical complexity, but by whether it makes mobility safer, more intuitive, more personal and more relevant. 

Christopher McKinnon, Vice President Product at Hyundai Motor Europe, will explore how automotive companies can translate advances in software, data and artificial intelligence into meaningful product experiences for European customers. The presentation will consider the importance of connecting global technology platforms with regional customer expectations, regulatory requirements and diverse mobility needs. It will also examine why closer collaboration across product, engineering, software, data and partner ecosystems is essential to bring intelligent vehicle concepts responsibly into series production.