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by Gary S. Vasilash > Editor-In-Chief Gilgandra, NSW, is about fve-and- a-half hours by car to Sydney to the east and nine-and-a-half hours to Melbourne to the south. It is a small town, with a population of 2,700 people. Andrew D. Smith grew up in Gilgandra. His dad was a Holden dealer in the town. Smith went to school in Gilgandra until age 15, at which time he moved to Sydney to attend boarding school and university. He studied design. His last year there, he was ofered a job in Melbourne, frst as an intern, then contractor, then employee. And some 20 years later, Smith is still with General Motors, but now in Warren, MI, where he is the executive director, Design, Cadillac. Warren is about 23-and-a-half hours from Gilgandra—by air. Cadillac was established in the Detroit area in 1902. It's French name notwithstanding, it is a quintessentially American brand. And so there is an Australian running Cadillac design? Yes. And with good reason. "For me," Smith says, "it is easy to come in and have an objective view of what's great about America. So sometimes when we have discussions internally about how 'American' we should be, I will tell you that externally, for the rest of the world, Cadillac is American, and that is something we should be really strong about." Smith adds, "I gave a presentation recently and used JFK and Steve Jobs in the discussion. Both of them were forward-thinking, visionary, optimistic people who could see a better future. For me, that sums up my perception of America." And another attribute that Smith discerns: "Something that many other countries don't do is celebrate success." This is something that he sees as being part of the American fabric, and something that he thinks is important for Cadillac to do. "It doesn't have to be gaudy or blingy, but we can celebrate the good things about the brand." "What's great about Cadillac," Smith says, "is that it is confdent." He cites the proportions of the ATS Coupe as an example, as well as the ELR, which ANDREW D. SMITH: Australian in America Who Gets It Sometimes an outsider perspective is absolutely essential to understand the unique possibilities presented by a brand . . . like Cadillac. p "I don't know how many Cadillac customers wash their own car, but I do think that by washing your car, you can fnd out a lot about it," says Andrew D. Smith, who heads up Cadillac design. He believes that premium products, including cars, are things that not only have a certain heritage, but which reveal more about themselves as they're investigated. AD&P; > April 2014 > FEATURE > Andrew D. Smith: Australian in America Who Gets It > Gary S. Vasilash > gsv@autofeldguide.com 38 0414ADP FEATURE Cadillac.indd 38 3/18/2014 12:15:25 PM