Forvia has announced two major changes in its executive committee. According to a press release by the French supplier on July 1, Olivier Lefebvre has been appointed as the new executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO). Forvia also appointed Sébastien Limousin as executive vice president of the Clean Mobility business group. Both appointments became effective on July 1. Lefebvre has been associated with Forvia since 1995 and held several senior ...

Wayve, a company specializing in embodied AI for automotive applications, announced the appointment of three industry experts — Rob Flenniken, Uri Wolfovitz and Dennis Jackson — to enhance its engineering leadership, according to a June 26 press release. Flenniken was named vice president of vehicle software, charged with creating and maintaining a stable and scalable vehicle software platform. He will be responsible for facilitating rapid AI model development and integrating with au...

According to a press release on June 12, Laura Major has been confirmed as the president and CEO of Motional, following her appointment by the company's board of directors. This announcement follows her successful tenure as the chief technology officer. The company is in the process of accelerating its AI development and is preparing to launch its driverless commercial service in 2026. Major has been serving as Motional's interim CEO since September 2024 and has been the chief technology offi...

Continental is on track to spin off its automotive group sector business under the Aumovio brand and its subsequent listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange by the end of 2025. Aumovio SE reached a key milestone on June 5, when its supervisory board confirmed the executive board appointment. Alongside CEO Philipp von Hirschheydt, four new members have been appointed to strengthen the board. Ingo Holstein will assume the role of chief human resource offic...

Luminar Technologies, Inc., a leading global automotive technology company, announced on May 14 that its board of directors has appointed Paul Ricci as the new CEO effective May 21, 2025. Ricci has previously served as the chairman and CEO of Nuance for nearly two decades. His appointment follows the resignation of founder Austin Russell as president and CEO of the company and as the chairperson of the board, effective immediately, following a code of business conduct and ethics inquiry by...

At Auto Shanghai 2025, Mercedes-Benz is showcasing a range of China-specific vehicles and technologies, emphasizing its technical expertise and dedication to its largest market. The event coincides with the 20th anniversary of Mercedes-Benz's local production and technological initiatives in China, where it also operates its most comprehensive research and development hub outside of Germany. Oliver Thöne, who recently succeeded Hubertus Troska as the board of management member responsible ...

Seeing Machines Ltd., an Australia-based company specializing in AI-powered driver monitoring systems (DMS), has announced the appointment of John Noble as its chief technology officer (CTO), effective immediately. Noble, who has been with the company for 20 years, will lead Seeing Machines' technology strategy, focusing on innovation and product development. This appointment comes as the demand for DMS technology grows, particularly in Europe where regulatory requirements for transport safety a...

Continental has appointed Nino Romano as the new chief technology officer (CTO) of its Automotive Group, which is in the transition phase toward becoming an independent publicly listed entity, effective Feb. 1. He succeeded Gilles Mabire who left the German supplier in November 2024. Romano has been associated with Continental for more than 30 years. Prior to the latest promotion, he was serving as the head of Quality and Operations. Romano has also been a member of the Automotive manage...

Continental has appointed Karin Dohm as the future CFO of its Automotive group sector, which is set to be spun off as an independent company. Her appointment will become effective April 1, 2025. Dohm will replace Claudia Holtkemper as the head of Finance and Controlling within the Automotive group. Holtkemper, who has held the position since May 2023, will transition to a new role within Continental. Dohm is working as CFO of the Hornbach Group. Prior to her role at Hornbach, she spent n...

Continental has announced that Olaf Schick will step down early from his role as executive board member of finance, integrity and law on Sept. 30, 2025. He will leave the German supplier after its planned completion of preparation for the spinoff of the Automotive group business. Schick has been a member of Continental’s executive board for integrity and law since May 2023 and CFO since July 1. Continental will decide Schick's successor in due course. “We are saddened by Olaf Schick’...

According to a press release on Nov. 12, Wayve has announced Max Warburton as its new CFO. Warburton, with a background spanning over 25 years in investment banking, equity research and corporate strategy within the automotive industry, is set to play a key role in Wayve's global expansion and growth acceleration. Warburton's career highlights include a significant tenure as a sell-side financial analyst at prestigious firms such as Goldman Sachs, UBS and Bernstein, where he focused on the au...

Autoliv has appointed Fabien Dumont as executive vice president and chief technology officer (CTO) with immediate effect, the company said in a press release on Sept. 17. Dumont has also been appointed as a member of Autoliv's executive management team. He will replace Jordi Lombarte, who transitions to a new position of senior technical advisor. Dumont has been working at Autoliv for more than 25 years. Recently, he served as vice president of Engineering at Autoliv China, where his leadersh...

As reported in a press release on Aug. 21, Marc Manning, an expert in zero emissions vehicle design with over two decades of experience, has been named the CEO of Kodiak Technologies. Manning's leadership was announced following the unveiling of this innovative technology at the 2024 Snow Symposium summit in Buffalo, New York. His appointment is set to boost the company's seed-round funding and the development of new hybrid and electric vehicle platforms. Kodiak Technologies, under Manni...

XPeng Motors has recently undergone organizational restructuring to better align with its intelligent driving technology roadmap, according to a report published by China's Daily Economic News on Aug. 12. The company has revised its structure toward an end-to-end model, especially concentrating on the Technology Development Department that handles algorithm research and development across various domains such as perception, planning, control and positioning. This department has now been div...

Su Tan, the general manager of Baidu Intelligent Driving Group's (IDG's) Intelligent Auto Business Department, has stepped down, Chinese media Pandaily reported July 19. It was mentioned that Li Tao would take over Baidu IDG's Intelligent Cabin operations. Baidu stands as a significant entity in autonomous driving technology, having initiated its involvement in this field in 2013. The company's commitment was further emphasized in 2017 with the launch of the Apollo brand and the establishment...

According to a report published by European Business Press on July 3, Bosch has recently designated Dieter Hoetzer as the vice president at Business Unit ADAS Systems, Software & Services, effectively placing him at the helm of its Five AI subsidiary as its CEO. The subsidiary, acquired by Bosch in 2022, is based in Cambridge, Mass. and is dedicated to the virtual testing of assisted and autonomous driving technology. Prior to this new role, Hoetzer held the positions of head of product area...

Audi, Volkswagen’s premium car unit, has appointed Geoffrey Bouquot as the new board member for innovation and software-defined vehicle (SDV) — a newly created division as part of the carmaker’s focus on building software capabilities to prepare for the future, the company announced on June 3. Bouquot fills a newly created dedicated position for innovation and software-defined vehicle (SDV) on the board of management, the company said, adding that with the new position, the supervisory ...

Carl Jenkins, the head of Hardware at General Motors' Cruise self-driving unit, has resigned from the company after six years, according to a report published by Reuters on Feb. 16. This is the latest in a series of departures since the company suspended US operations in October 2023, following a pedestrian being hit by another vehicle and thrown into the path of a self-driving Cruise car in San Francisco. Jenkins' team was responsible for developing Cruise's self-driving hardware, including ...

Cruise LLC, an autonomous vehicle (AV) company, has hired Steve Kenner as its Chief Safety Officer. Kenner brings over three decades of experience in engineering and automotive safety across multiple leading U.S. automakers, including General Motors, Ford, and Kodiak, according to a press release on Feb. 12. In his new role, Kenner will oversee Cruise's safety management systems and operations, working directly with the Cruise Board of Directors. The company aims to continually improve its ov...

German carmaker Volkswagen announced Jan. 29 that it plans to strengthen its Technical Development Board function in mainland China as part of its In China, for China strategy. To this end, VW has appointed Thomas Ulbrich, former member of the board of management of the Volkswagen brand for New Mobility, as the head of its Technical Development for the VW Group in mainland China from April 1, 2024. Ulbrich succeeds Marcus Hafkemeyer, who with his extensive experience of mainland China, will c...

Valeo has appointed Edouard de Pirey as the new CFO, it said in a press release dated Jan. 2. De Pirey will replace Robert Charvier, who will retire on March 29 after 24 years with the company. Charvier will remain with Valeo in an advisory capacity until his departure. De Pirey began his career as a civil servant in New Caledonia before joining the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry in 2006. He joined Valeo in 2009 as group vice president of Corporate Planning and Str...

In a press release on Dec. 4, 2023, Denso Corp. has announced changes to its organizational structure, executives’ responsibilities and personnel, effective Jan. 1, 2024.   Denso has stated at Denso Dialog Day 2023 that it will evolve from being “a Tier 1 supplier that supports the auto industry” to “a Tier 1 supplier that supports a mobility-centered society,” aiming to maximize the value of the entire mobility society, in addition to vehicles. To achieve this, Denso...

Nvidia is making strategic moves to bolster its autonomous driving capabilities in China, riding the wave of automakers' rush to integrate self-driving features into their latest vehicles. The company is actively recruiting engineers, technicians and professionals to fill 25 key roles within five business units, based on a report published by Automotive News on Nov. 30. According to information shared on the Chinese instant messenger app WeChat, the recruitment drive will focus on positions a...

CEO Kyle Vogt of General Motors' robot-taxi unit, Cruise, has resigned from the company after apologizing to staff for the company's safety review of its US fleet, according to a Reuters' report on Nov. 20. Vogt offered little explanation for his resignation, simply stating that he has resigned from his position. His departure comes as a setback for the autonomous vehicle industry, which relies on public trust and cooperation from regulators. Cruise had recently expanded its ambitions to offe...

Here Technologies has appointed Mike Nefkens as its new CEO effective Jan. 2, 2024, it said in a press release on Nov. 9. Nefkens brings over three decades of experience in technology, IT, software, cloud services, internet of things (IoT) and automotive industries. He previously served as president and CEO of Resideo Technologies and was a longtime executive at Hewlett-Packard. Nefkens currently acts as a senior advisor and CEO coach at Boston Consulting Group. “I am honored t...

According to a press release on October 4, David French has been appointed as the new CEO of SigmaSense, a company that specializes in digital signal processing (DSP)-based sensing systems. French brings a wealth of experience in the semiconductor industry, having held various executive positions at companies such as NXP Semiconductors, Cirrus Logic and Analog Devices. He has been instrumental in the early productization and broad adoption of DSPs. The appointment of French comes at a time wh...

Continental has announced that Ismail Dagli will take charge of the company’s Autonomous Mobility business division from October, according to a company press statement on September 20. Dagli will succeed Frank Petznick, the outgoing business head. Dagli has been in charge of Continental’s Smart Mobility business area since the beginning of 2022. The division oversees business involving mobility services, fleet operators and commercial vehicle manufacturers within the automotive group sec...

Volkswagen of America, a fully-owned subsidiary of German carmaker Volkswagen AG, has appointed Lyndon Lie as the company’s new chief engineering officer, the company announced August 3. The new appointment is part of the company’s plan of expanding its leadership team, and design and engineering capabilities in North America. Lie, who will be based in Chattanooga, Tenn., brings extensive vehicle-engineering experience that will help the company drive new innovation, including design, ...

Mercedes-Benz Group’s supervisory board has reappointed Ola Källenius as chairman of the board of management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG until May 21, 2029, the company announced July 27. The board has also extended the contract of Markus Schäfer as the chief technology officer until May 21, 2026. As chief technology officer, Schäfer will be the board of management member responsible for Development and Procurement at the German luxury-car maker. The company also announced that Ren...

In a press release announcement July 11, Denso has named Kim Buhl vice president of its North America Purchasing Group, effective July 24. She will succeed Mike Winkler, who led the group since 2014 and will retire in January 2024 after 30-plus years of distinguished service at Denso. Buhl will lead North America purchasing initiatives from Denso's regional headquarters in Southfield, Mich. In the role, she will spearhead efforts to secure and enhance Denso's supply chain, and work with suppl...

Hitachi Astemo on June 1 announced that its board of directors, in a meeting, have appointed Kohei Takeuchi as the new representative director, president and CEO. Takeuchi will assume office July 1, 2023. He will officially assume the role of president and CEO based on the election of directors from a resolution at the Hitachi Astemo general meeting of shareholders to be held June 29, and the selection of directors at a subsequent board of directors meeting....

South Korean vehicle manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group has appointed its current executive vice president Yong Wha Kim as the new head of R&D Division, effective May 1, the company announced on April 25. Kim will succeed Chung Kook Park, who also served as the head of the R&D Division, besides serving as the president at Hyundai Motor Company. The group has now appointed President Park as an advisor to the R&D team. Hyundai said that Kim had joined the carmaker in 2015 as an exp...

In a press release on April 24, Wayve, the self-driving technology company announced that it has appointed Silvius Rus as Vice President of Software at Wayve. He will lead the company’s Software organisation to build fleet learning technology to train and deploy Wayve’s AI Driver software at scale. Silvius brings a wealth of experience in building large-scale and complex systems which have achieved extraordinary impact. He was instrumental in delivering the platform software for all of Go...

In a press release announcement on 1 February 2023, Lidar solutions supplier AEye has announced it has named Matt Fisch as the company’s new CEO and as a member of its board of directors effective 13 February 2023. Fisch is a technical C-level leader with 30 years of experience delivering breakout products across industries and scaling software organizations at multi-billion-dollar global companies including HARMAN International, Intel, and Verifone. He takes the reins at AEye as the c...

dSPACE has announced in a press release on 25 January 2023 that Dr. Carsten Hoff will become the new CEO of the dSPACE group succeeding Martin Goetzeler on 17 April, who is leaving his post at his own request and for personal reasons. To ensure a smooth handover, Martin Goetzeler will continue to be available to the new CEO in an advisory capacity after 17 April 2023. Dr. Carsten Hoff comes from a research and development-centric background with a degree in electrical engineering and a doctor...

Aptiv has appointed Benjamin Lyon senior vice president and chief technology officer (CTO), the company said in a press release on 15 December. Lyon will replace Geln De Vos who is transitioning to a newly created role of senior vice president, transformation, and special programs. Lyon most recently worked as an executive vice president of engineering at Astra where he was responsible for development and commercialization of advanced engineering solutions. Before Astra, he spent 21 year...

Lidar specialist AEye has promoted Dr. TR Ramachandran to the position of COO, the company said in a press release on 12 December. Ramachandran has been promoted after serving AEye as CPO since his joined the company in November 2021. AEye also announced that its CEO Blair LaCorte will resign from the post of CEO at the end of February 2023 and transition to a more focused role. LaCorte will continue to stay on AEye’s board of directors. AEye has already launched a search for LaCorte’s su...

In a press release on 5 December 2022, DENSO Corporation announced changes to its organizational structure, executives' responsibilities, and personnel, effective 1 January 2023. Organizational changes: DENSO will merge the FA Business Development Division (formerly the Industrial Solution Business Unit), which provides lean automation solutions to the industrial sector; the Food Value Chain Business Development Div., which provides safe and stable supply solutions in the food and ...

Ford Motor Company announced on 22 September 2022 that the automaker is restructuring its top deck with an aim to strengthen its internal combustion product line and transform the company’s global supply chain management. The said management changes are being done as part of the company’s Ford+ plan, which intends to accelerate growth and value creation with the development of breakthrough electric vehicles at scale. Ford has named Doug Field as the new chief advanced product development ...

ZF Friedrichshafen has appointed Michael Frick as its new chief financial officer, it said in a press release on 19 September. Frick succeeds Konstantin Sauer, who will leave ZF at the end of 2022. Sauer joined ZF in 1990 and served as the CFO since 2010. Frick will join ZF from automotive supplier Mahle, where he served as the CFO and interim chairman of the management board. Frick Joined Mahle Group as head of corporate controlling in 2003. He held various senior management roles in the ...

Velodyne Lidar has announced the appointment of Virginia Boulet as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors, according to a company press release on 19 July.  Boulet will replace Michael Dee, who will continue to serve as a member of the board. Boulet has served as a member of Velodyne’s Board since November 2021. She is a corporate governance leader with more than 30 years of experience in corporate and securities law. “I would like to thank Michael for his support and guidance as ...

ZF Friedrichshafen has appointed Dr. Holger Klein as chairman and CEO, it said in a press release on 8 July 2022. Dr. Holger Klein will replace Wolf-Henning Scheider as chairman and CEO of ZF Friedrichshafen AG at the turn of the year 2022/23. At the same time, Dr. Peter Laier will join the Board of Management and succeed Wilhelm Rehm as the head of the Industrial Technology and Commercial Vehicle Solutions (CVS) divisions. After many years of service, ZF Chief Financial Officer Dr. Konstantin S...

HERE Technologies has announced the appointment of Adeel Manzoor as chief financial officer (CFO) with immediate effect, a company press release on 27 June read. Manzoor will replace Petra Meiser, who left HERE in March 2022. Manzoor will have overall responsibility for finance, controlling, risk management, treasury, and investor relations at the company. Manzoor was formerly the chief administrative officer and CFO of C3 AI. Prior to C3 AI, Manzoor served two and a half years as CFO at...

Stellantis has appointed Maxime Picat as its new Chief Purchasing and Supply Chain Officer, it said in a press release on 11 May. Maxime Picat’s appointment comes at a vital time when the automotive industry is going through a rapid transformation. His analytical skills and trusted relations with suppliers will enhance Stellantis’ short- and medium-term performance in the new E-mobility and alternative fuels ecosystem. Stellantis aims at lowering cost of EVs by 40% to ensure affordability, w...

Flex appoints Becky Sidelinger as President of the Reliability Solutions, according to a press release published by the company on 22 February.       Revathi Advaithi, CEO at Flex, said, "On behalf of the entire Flex team, we are excited to welcome Becky, a seasoned executive with a global business mindset to lead our Reliability business units. Her expertise in regulated and high reliability industries will add great value to Flex as we continue to grow the Reliabili...

Flex announces the appointment of Patrick J. Ward to the company’s board of directors and has also been named as a member of the company’s audit committee, it said in a press release on 27 January. Michael D. Capellas, Chair of the Flex Board, said, “Pat Ward brings proven financial and executive expertise. He will be a valuable addition and we welcome him to the Board.” Significance: Patrick J. Ward retired with more than 30 years of experience as CFO of Cummins Inc. Prior to serv...

Valeo has appointed Christophe Périllat as chief executive officer, it said in a press release on 26 January. Périllat will replace Jacques Aschenbroich, who will continue to act as chairman of the board of directors. Périllat joined Valeo Group in 2000 and held several management positions in separate group companies. He became the chief operating officer in 2011, associate CEO in October 2020, and deputy CEO in May 2021. “I am fully aware of my responsibility to all our stakeho...

Global technology company Visteon Corporation appoints Bunsei Kure to its board of directors, the company announced in a press release on 27 January. Francis M. Scricco, chairman, board of directors, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Bunsei to our board of directors. His knowledge and expertise of the automotive and semiconductor industries will be very helpful in supporting Visteon’s future growth.” Significance: Bunsei Kure carries extensive experience with global automot...

Israeli-based manufacturer of modular platforms REE Automotive announced via press release on 6 January the appointment of finance executive David Goldberg as the company’s CFO. Goldberg joins the company from Magna International where he was the SVP of Corporate Development. According to the press release, the new CFO brings with him 20 years of experience in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and management consulting thanks to previous stints at Morgan Stanley, Bain & ...

According to a Business Wire press release dated 21 December, GPR announced Roger Nielsen, a former president and CEO of Daimler Trucks North America, has joined the company's advisory board. Nielsen has nearly 40 years of commercial vehicle product development, high-quality manufacturing, and sales experience as the company approaches commercialization of its proprietary ground positioning radar on autonomous trucks. Nielsen said, "We have led Daimler's efforts to automate com...

Continental has appointed Katja Dürrfeld as the chief financial officer (CFO) of the company, it said in a press release on 14 December. Dürrfeld succeeds Nikolai Setzer, who assumed the role within the executive board on an interim basis. Dürrfeld will be responsible for group finance, controlling, and group information technology. Dürrfeld joined Continental in 1997 and held several operational positions in IT, marketing, sales, logistics, auditing and purchasing before taking over...

Oxbotica has appointed Gavin Jackson as its new CEO, the autonomous mobility startup said in a press release on 7 December. Gavin joins Oxbotica having previously held senior leadership positions at Microsoft and Amazon Web Services (AWS). The appointment is expected to help accelerate and scale the company’s commercial deployment of its autonomous vehicle software across multiple domains. “Oxbotica is on a mission to Make the Earth Move. Safely and sustainably unleashing the benefits of ...

According to a press release on PR Newswire dated 4 November, Velodyne Lidar announced the appointment of Theodore “Ted” L. Tewksbury, Ph.D., as CEO, effective 10 November 2021. “We are pleased to welcome Ted to the Velodyne team. Ted’s extensive leadership experience in addition to engineering expertise make him an ideal candidate to lead Velodyne as we continue to lead the lidar industry with the most cutting-edge products and scalable manufacturing capacity,” said Micha...

According to a press release published on Business Wire on October 18th, Cepton Technologies has appointed Brunno Moretti as Vice President of Product Marketing. Moretti will be based in Cepton's Detroit office and will be in charge of the company's ongoing product development to drive business growth in the automotive and smart infrastructure markets. Moretti will be responsible for extending Cepton's hardware roadmap to target applications in automotive ADAS (advanced driver assistance syst...

Automotive engineering and development service provider Bosch Engineering GmbH has restructured its top leadership team with effect from 1 October, the company said in a press release on 5 October. The company said that Dr. Johannes-Jörg Rüger, who will continue to serve as the president of Bosch Engineering GmbH, will now assume additional responsibility in the area of development. Meanwhile, continuing to serve as the EVP of Bosch Engineering GmbH, Dr.-Ing. Frank Schmidt will take over...

German automotive component manufacturer Continental AG announced on 30 September that its Supervisory Board has approved the Group’s restructuring with a focus on market developments and customer requirements. “The Executive Board decided on the organizational changes in September 2021 in view of the transformation of the mobility industry,” the company said in a statement, adding that ‘following the successful spin-off of Vitesco Technologies in mid-September 2021 and the decision t...

According to a press release on PRNewswire dated 15 September, Baraja, creator of the Spectrum-Scan™ lidar technology for autonomous vehicles, has expanded its leadership team with photonics and automotive technology veterans Yannick K Lize, as VP of research and development (R&D), and Pieter Kerstens, as VP of engineering. "Yannick and Pieter are both experts in bringing cutting-edge photonics technologies from research to commercial scale quickly and will help furt...

Horizon Robotics, a Beijing-based domestic chip supplier, announced on 1 September that it had appointed Liming Chen, formerly head of the Bosch Chassis Control System R&D Center, as president of the company. According to iNews, the founder and CEO of Horizon Robotics, Kai Yu, welcomed Chen to the company, saying, "Dr. Liming Chen is a well-respected technical expert and industry leader in the industry. He focuses on the world and understands the development ...

German automotive component major Continental has appointed Hans-Jörg Feigel as head of strategy and future solutions for autonomous mobility and safety (AMS) business vertical, the company said in a press release on 31 August. Feigel, 62, who takes over his new role with effect from 1 September 2021, also becomes a member of the management board of AMS, the company said. He succeeds Ralph Lauxmann, 57, who has moved on to take over the overall management lead for a customer project wit...

Automotive steering components and motion control systems supplier, Nexteer Automotive, has announced that it has appointed Robin Milavec as President in addition to his current role as the company’s global CTO, chief strategy officer and executive board director. According to a press release issued by Nexteer on 17 August, Tao Liu, Nexteer’s president and global COO, has retired effective 15 August. Furthermore, Bill Quigley, the company’s CFO, has also announced his retireme...

Velodyne Lidar has appointed Michael Dee as chairman of the board, it said in a press release on 2 August. Dee replaces Joseph B. Culkin who will step down as chairman due to health reasons. Dee was the CFO of PureCycle Technologies. Dee was also the senior advisor to the president for Finance of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. “In 2020, using our proven technology, we manufactured and shipped almost 12,000 lidar units with revenues of over USD95 million while most of our competit...

According to a Reuters press release dated 19 July, Velodyne, a leading manufacturer of lidar laser sensors, announced that Dr. Anand Gopalan has informed the Board of Directors that he will step down as CEO and a member of the Board on 30 July 2021. In conjunction with this announcement, the Board of Directors established the Office of the Chief Executive (OCE), which includes several members of Velodyne's senior leadership team. Dr. Joseph B. Culkin, PhD, Chairman of Velodyne Lidar’s...

According to a press release published on Business Wire on 26 June, AEye, the global leader in active, high-performance LiDAR solutions, has appointed Hod Finkelstein as Chief R&D Officer. Finkelstein, a technology and business veteran, brings extensive experience leading the development and commercialization of strategic and disruptive technologies such as LiDAR. “I am delighted to join the AEye team and to play a key role in advancing AEye’s disruptive LiDAR system,” said Finkelst...

STMicroelectronics (ST) announced on its official website on 9 June that Benedetto Vigna, president of the Analog, MEMS, and Sensors (AMS) Group, has informed the company that he will step down from his position on 31 August 2021 to become the CEO of another company. “I spent half of my life working with a formidable multicultural team to whom I am, and I will always be, grateful. Without such a great team, it would have been impossible to grow the AMS business at the levels of to...

In a Board of Directors’ meeting held on 26 May, Valeo appointed Christophe Périllat deputy CEO of the company. Périllat was also appointed director of Valeo by the General Meeting on 31 May. Valeo said in a statement that the appointments as deputy CEO and as Director are in line with the succession plan of Jacques Aschenbroich as detailed in the press release of October 27, 2020 and in Valeo’s 2020 Universal Registration Document. The succession plan provides that the separation ...

The supervisory board of Osram Licht and CFO Kathrin Dahnke agreed to terminate her contract on 30 June by mutual agreement, the German supplier announced in a press release on 27 May 2021. With the planned delisting of Osram Licht, which is expected to be implemented by the end of June, important tasks in the department of Osram's CFO will be omitted. Dahnke's other responsibilities will be taken over by CEO Ingo Bank, who is also CFO at the parent company ams. Since taking office in Apri...

Ouster, a leading provider of high-resolution digital lidar sensors for the industrial automation, smart infrastructure, robotics, and automotive industries, has announced on the company website dated 6 May, that it has hired Nathan Dickerman as president of Field Operations to accelerate lidar adoption across its four end markets. “I am immensely excited to have Nathan on board to help accelerate our continued growth. He has extensive experience scaling commercial organizations and dr...

Freight transportation company, Schneider National Inc. of Green Bay, is investing in TuSimple, a San Diego autonomous technology company. Schneider president and CEO Mark Rourke will join TuSimple’s newly established Executive Advisory Board.  TuSimple develops a commercial-ready, fully autonomous driving solution for long-haul heavy-duty trucks. Currently, the company has a fleet of 53 trucks, 40 of them in the US, and operates out of Tucson, Arizona, and Dallas, Texas, whi...

Waymo’s CEO John Krafcik has announced his resignation, according to a company blog post on 2 April. Krafcik will continue to serve as an advisor to Waymo but Dmitri Dolgov and Tekedra Mawakana will serve as co-CEOs. Dolgov is one of the founders of the Google self-driving car project and Mawakana was the COO of Waymo. “We’re committed to working alongside you to build, deploy, and commercialize the Waymo Driver,” the co-CEOs said in the statement. Waymo has been working on autonom...

On 26 March, Marelli announced a few key appointments for its electrification, ADAS and electronics divisions. Joachim Fetzer will be appointed as Chief Technology and Innovation Officer (CTIO), while Hannes Prenn will join as EVP and CEO of the Electric Powertrain business. The new appointments are in line with the objectives of the “Ambition 2024” strategy. Heinrich Gerhard Schuering will become the new EVP of the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) business while Mike Peters will...

Velodyne Lidar has appointed James L. Barnhart as its new chief operating officer (COO) with immediate effect, the company said in a press release on 15 March. Barnhart has replaced Rick Tewell who has joined AEye, a US-based company also specializing in lidar, as COO. As COO of Velodyne, Barnhart will be responsible for leading automated manufacturing operations that produces lidar sensors. Barnhart will report directly to Dr. Anand Gopalan, CEO, Velodyne. Significance: Barnhart brings to...

AEye has appointed Rick Tewell as the chief operating officer (COO), according to a 15 March press release issued by the company. Tewell will oversee operations, focusing on industrialization and commercialization of AEye’s active LiDAR system. Prior to his new role, Tewell served as the COO at Velodyne Lidar. He has held senior roles in both hardware and embedded software across companies such as Nvidia, Freescale, NXP, and VeriSilicon. He has over two decades of work experience in the fie...

Lidar startup Innoviz Technologies has appointed Udy Gal-On as chief operating officer (COO) effective on 1 March, the company said in a press release on 24 February. Gal-On brings more than 30 years of experience in semiconductor, telecom, and smart energy industries. Most recently, Gal-On served as VP of operations at SolarEdge, a company specializing smart energy solutions. Before that he worked at ECI Telecom and Marvel Semiconductor. As COO of Innoviz, Gal-On will be responsible for the ...

Intel has announced that Patrick Gelsinger has taken over as the CEO, according to a company press release on 15 February. He takes over from Bob Swan. Intel first announced Gelsinger’s appointment on 13 January. “Pat is a proven technology leader with a distinguished track record of innovation, talent development, and a deep knowledge of Intel. He will continue a values-based cultural leadership approach with a hyper focus on operational execution,” said Omar Ishrak, independent chairm...

Japanese supplier DENSO has appointed Seiji Maeda as CEO of DENSO's North American operations, according to a company press release on 12 January. Maeda is also a senior director at DENSO. Prior to this post, Maeda served as head of Denso’s Motor Business Unit in Japan. From 2012–17, he held numerous positions such as director of Corporate Planning, general manager of Electronics Business Planning, and general manager of Thermal Systems Business Planning. Before those roles, Maeda spent n...

The Autonomous Vehicle Computing Consortium (AVCC) has appointed Giuseppe Rosso as its chairperson, according to a press release on 22 December. Rosso is currently the vice-president of Engineering Advanced Assisted Driving Systems at Veoneer. “It is a great honor for me to be appointed Chairman of AVCC. The path to delivering from ADAS to autonomous systems is more and more complex, and it will continue to grow. AVCC is an important step forward as we jointly address the technological comp...

The Swedish automotive technology company Veoneer, Inc. announced that its chief technology officer (CTO), Nishant Batra, has decided to leave the company to pursue a new career opportunity, according to a company press release on 17 December 2020. Giuseppe Rosso, Veoneer's current VP, Systems & Software, will be appointed acting CTO upon Batra's departure. A permanent replacement will be communicated at a later date, the company said. Significance: Batra joined Veoneer in November 2018. ...

Optimus Ride has appointed Sean Harrington as its new CEO, effective November 30, the company said in a press release. Harrington replaces Optimus co-founder Ryan Chin, who will remain at the company with responsibility over policy and sustainability initiatives. He will be responsible for advancing Optimus Ride's autonomous mobility technology and scale up its commercial operations. Most recently, Harrington served as vice president of City Solutions at Verizon where he was responsible for a...

Continental has appointed Nikolai Setzer as its new CEO and executive board chairman, effective 1 December, the company has announced in a press release on 12 November. The appointment will be effective until March 2024. He succeeds Dr. Elmar Degenhart who is stepping down from his position for health reasons, with the consent of the Supervisory Board, effective 30 November 2020. Significance: Setzer has been working with Continental since 1997. In his 23-year career at the company to date, h...

Continental CEO Dr. Elmar Degenhart will resign from his position effective 30 November 2020, citing health reasons, according to a company press release on 29 October 2020. He has asked the supervisory board to accept the early termination of his executive board directorship and his contract, which would have run until 11 August 2024. Degenhart explained the reasons for choosing the timing of his resignation. “After a lot of effort invested for the benefit of our organization, I was r...

Valeo’s existing CEO Jacques Aschenbroich will retire from the post on 31 December 2021, according to a company press release on 27 October. Christophe Périllat, who is currently acting as chief operating officer of Valeo, will succeed Aschenbroich as CEO starting in January 2022. Also, Jacques Aschenbroich will continue to act as Chairman of the Board of Directors until the end of his current term of office as Director, i.e., until May 2023. Additionally, Valeo appointed Christophe Périllat...

AEye has appointed Blair LaCorte as its new CEO, the company said in a press release on 20 October. Luis Dussan, founder of AEye, will collaborate with LaCorte to drive growth and accelerate technology and product development. Furthermore, Dussan will continue to serve as president and CTO of AEye. Prior to joining AEye, LaCorte was global president of live event technology and services company PRG, the CEO of aviation company XOJET, and the operating partner at private equity ...

Volvo Cars has appointed Ödgärd Andersson as new CEO of its autonomous drive (AD) software development company called Zenseact, the Swedish automaker announced in a press release on 14 October. The appointment is effective 1 November. Presently, Andersson is serving as chief digital officer at Volvo Cars. Before that, she was responsible for software development at Volvo Cars, including autonomous drive. “This background makes her the perfect candidate to lead this next phase of developme...

Japan-based startup offering artificial intelligence (AI)-based solutions Ascent Robotics has appointed Ken Kutaragi as new CEO, according to a press release on 10 September 2020. The appointment is effective 26 August 2020. Kutaragi replaces Masayuki Ishizaki, who cofounded Ascent Robotics and has been CEO since 2017. Ishizaki remains on the Ascent Robotics board and has transitioned to the role of COO on the executive team. Significance: Ken Kutaragi was the former chairman and CE...

Nomoko has announced the appointment of three new members to the Board of Directors following the Annual General Meeting of the Shareholders on July 8. According to a press release issued by Nomoko on 13 July, the company’s shareholders have elected Elian Kool, Philip Loewen and Michel Demaré. The newly elected members will be joining the existing Board with Thierry Fromes, Eduardo Leemann and the two co-founders, Nilson Kufus (CEO) and Vincent Pedrini (CFO). Michel Demaré has been electe...

Continental has appointed Frank Petznick as head of its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) business unit, the German supplier announced in a press release on 3 July 2020. Petznick will also become a member of the Management Board of the Autonomous Mobility and Safety business area. He brings years of experience with innovative, new technologies in the fields of electronics and sensor technology to Continental. Petznick will report to Frank Jourdan, member of the executive board of Contine...

Andreas Wolf, the chief executive officer of Vitesco Technologies, has been appointed to the executive board of German automotive components and systems supplier Continental AG. In a press statement released by Continental on 3 June, the company has announced that the appointment of Wolf will be with effect from 3 June 2020, and that it will be for a term of three years. Additionally, if the planned spin-off of Vitesco Technologies will take place within this three year period, the appointment t...

Lidar startup Quanergy Systems, Inc., has raised additional funding to accelerate product expansion, according to a press release on 1 April. The new funding was led by several existing investors, spearheaded by long-time Quanergy partner, Rising Tide technologies. In addition, Quanergy has appointed Dr. Kevin J. Kennedy as the company’s new CEO. Kennedy has served on the Quanergy Systems board of directors for almost a year. Previously, he served as CEO and board director positions at Avay...

Sense Photonics, a provider of lidar and 3D sensor solutions for autonomous vehicles, has appointed Shauna McIntyre as its new CEO, according to a press release on 8 April 2020. McIntyre replaces co-founder Scott Burroughs, who has served as CEO since the company's inception in 2016. Burroughs will now assume the roles of president and chief innovation officer. Significance: McIntyre is an automotive industry veteran who most recently led Google's automotive services program and Google Maps' ...

Nidec Corporation has appointed Jun Seki as new president and chief operating officer (COO), according to a company press release on 4 February. Seki is set to take the post effective 1 April. Seki is currently serving as special executive consultant. Prior to that, Seki was executive officer, vice-COO, and senior vice president. Seki had also worked with Nissan Motor Co Ltd. Nidec said the new management will help further enhance the company’s management system to generate consolidate...

Velodyne Lidar Inc. has appointed Mathew Rekow as its new chief technology officer (CTO), according to a company press release on 3 February. He replaces Anand Gopalan, who was recently named Velodyne’s new CEO. Under Gopalan’s leadership alongside Hall, Velodyne brought to market a range of lidar products, including the Alpha Prime™, Velarray™, VelaDome™ and a new game-changing lidar sensor, soon to be used for powerful advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). In his new rol...

HERE Technologies has appointed Petra Marita Meiser as the company’s new chief financial officer (CFO), effective 1 February 2020, according to a company press release on 15 January. Meiser replaces Peter Meier, who resigned from the post in December 2019 to take up a position at DKV Mobility Services Holding. Prior to joining HERE, Meiser had worked with Daimler, where her responsibilities ranged from strategic program management and merger and acquisition (M&A) to corporate law and va...

Sensata Technologies has appointed Jeffrey Cote as the chief executive officer effective 1 March, the company said in a press release on 23 January. He will take over from current CEO Martha Sullivan. Cote has served in several executive roles at Sensata, with the latest being president and chief operating officer. “I am excited to lead our company into the next decade and beyond as Sensata’s Chief Executive Officer. Working as a strong team, we will capture the next waves of growth fo...

Velodyne Lidar, Inc. has appointed Anand Gopalan as its new CEO, the company announced in a press release on 6 January 2020. Gopalan, who previously served as Velodyne’s chief technical officer (CTO), succeeds David Hall, who will continue as full-time chairman of the board and remain actively involved in directing the company’s technology, product vision and business strategy. Elevating Gopalan to CEO will enhance the leadership team at Velodyne Lidar, running day-to-day business as the com...

Nexteer's president and executive board director Michael P. Richardson has announced his retirement, according to a company press release on 2 January. The company has appointed Tao Liu, who is serving as senior vice president and global chief operating officer, as the new president. Richardson began his career in 1974 at the former Saginaw Steering Gear Division. Subsequently, he held a range of assignments across skilled trades, manufacturing, engineering, and business leadership within the...

Denso has announced certain organizational and personnel changes, effective 1 January 2020, according to a company press release on 25 December. The Japanese company will establish the Advanced Mobility Systems Business Development Division as a company-wide organization. The division will have three new functions: vehicle-system development; business development; and sales and marketing. In addition, Denso will establish the Connected Business Development Department within the Sale...

Visteon has appointed Jerome Rouquet as senior vice president, finance and chief financial officer (CFO), the company announced in a press release on 19 December. The appointment is effective 21 January 2020. Rouquet will replace William R. Robertson, who has served as interim CFO since 1 November 2019. Rouquet has nearly three decades of financial experience including leadership roles of increasing responsibility. He served as vice president, chief accounting officer, and controller at ...

FEV has appointed Dr. Ulrich Pfahl as the chairman of the executive board of FEV Asia, the company announced in a press release on 20 December. In this position, he will be responsible for the business activities of the FEV subsidiaries in Asia. Appointment is effective 1 January 2020. Dr. Pfahl succeeds Dr. Ernst Scheid, who has reached retirement age, but will continue to serve the FEV Group in an advisory capacity. Dr. Pfahl has held various positions in the FEV Group since 2016, most rece...

Basemark has appointed Keith Silverang as its new CEO, the company said in a press release on 30 October. Silverang has been serving as a member of Basemark board since the spring of 2019. Prior to the latest appointment, Silverang served as CEO of Technopolis from 2008 to 2019. “I’ve reached that point in my life when I know what I am capable of, and what my limits are, and I was in the fortunate position of being able to choose my next position. I wanted to do something completely diffe...

ZF Friedrichshafen’s supervisory board has appointed Dr Martin Fischer as a new member of the ZF Board of Management, according to a company press release on 1 October. Fischer is expected to join the board on 1 November and will take over from Dr Franz Kleiner at the start of 2020, who will then retire. Fischer will be responsible for the Electronics and ADAS, as well as Active and Passive Safety Systems divisions in North and South America regions, in addition to ...