Stephen Gatny
director of business development, advanced automotive design
Ultrafabrics

Stephen Gatny has spent his career exploring how to transform automotive surfaces into expressive, harmonious environments people remember. Today, as Director of Business Development, Advanced Automotive Design at Ultrafabrics, he works alongside automotive designers to reimagine how materiality can strengthen the emotional and sensory connection between people and the products they use, while helping navigate an industry being rapidly reshaped by technological innovation and evolving customer behaviour.

Before joining Ultrafabrics, Stephen founded and led Rivian's Perceived and Design Quality organization, establishing a world-class team that challenged conventional thinking and redefined the PQ mission, processes, standards, and execution strategy. His work helped shape people’s emotional connection to Rivian's award-winning R1T, R1S, Amazon Electric Delivery Van, and R2 by aligning design vision and customer expectations with engineering and execution.

A graduate of the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, with additional studies at Central Saint Martins in London, Stephen is an active fine artist who enjoys creating surrealist-inspired oil paintings and working with his hands. He believes that although the mediums differ, both automotive design and fine art are grounded in the same principles of materiality, composition, and craftsmanship, and ultimately seek to evoke emotion and foster meaningful human connection.