Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based President operating in the Automotive space. If you think a President is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.us.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Chuck Stevens
Executive Vice President and CFO of General Motors
Chuck Stevens was named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of General Motors effective Jan. 15, 2014. Stevens is responsible for leading the company’s financial and accounting operations on a global basis. Stevens was previously CFO of GM North America since January 2010. He led GM’s financial operations for U.S. Sales, Service and Marketing, GM Canada, GM de Mexico, North America Manufacturing, Customer Care and Aftersales, and OnStar. He was also interim CFO of GM South America from December 2011 to January 2013.
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About General Motors: General Motors manufactures, markets, and distributes vehicles and vehicle parts.
Tony Cervone
Senior Vice President, Global Communications of General Motors
Tony Cervone was named senior vice president, Global Communications, in May 2014. As GM’s top communications executive, he is responsible for the company’s overall global communications strategy. He is a member of the Executive Leadership Team and a senior advisor to CEO Mary Barra. Prior to his current position, Cervone served since 2011 as executive vice president of Group Communications for Volkswagen Group of America in Herndon, Va., where he revamped the company’s communications activities for its VW and Audi brands. From 2009 to 2011, Cervone was senior vice president and chief communications officer for United Airlines in Chicago, where he helped manage the company’s eventual merger with Continental Airlines. From 1999 to 2009, Cervone worked at GM in several senior communications positions of increasing responsibility. From 1999 to 2000, Cervone was executive director of Corporate Communications, responsible for media relations, issues management and labor and employee communications. From 2001 to 2003, he served as executive director of Executive and Financial Communications; from 2003 to 2006, vice president of GM Europe Communications; from 2006 to 2007, vice president of GM North America Communications; and from 2007 to 2009, vice president of Global Communications Strategy and Operations. In 2000, Cervone served for a short period as vice president of Chrysler Group Communications for DaimlerChrysler AG in Auburn Hills, Mich. From 1985 to 1999, Cervone worked at Chrysler Corp. – which became DaimlerChrysler AG – in virtually every aspect of auto industry communications, from product and technology to supplier and crisis communications. He managed pre- and post-merger communications related to the merger of Chrysler and Daimler-Benz. Cervone has a bachelor’s degree in Fine and Applied Arts from Central Michigan University where he majored in Journalism, with Business Administration and Advertising minors. He completed the General Motors Senior Executive Program in 2003. Cervone is a member of the Arthur Page Society, the Public Relations Society of America and The Seminar. He is a board member of Detroit Public Television (DPTV), The LaGrant Foundation and serves on the Advisory Council for the Department of Communication at the College of Charleston. He is a former trustee of The Institute for Public Relations, and former board member of the Automotive Press Association and the Ad Council. Cervone was also named one of the 2014 Automotive News All-Stars.
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About General Motors: General Motors manufactures, markets, and distributes vehicles and vehicle parts.
Cynthia Powell
Sr Executive Vice President of External Affairs of Root Insurance
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About Root Insurance: Root Insurance is a property casualty insurtech that offers personalized, affordable coverage in an app.
John Downey
Vice President, Information Security of Root Insurance
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About Root Insurance: Root Insurance is a property casualty insurtech that offers personalized, affordable coverage in an app.
Frederiek Toney
Vice President and President, Global Ford Customer Service Division of Ford Motor
Mr. Frederiek Toney serves as Vice President of Ford Motor Co., and serves as President of its Global Ford Customer Service Division. Mr. Toney served as Vice President of Ford Customer Service Division at Ford Motor Co., since September 1, 2009 and served as its Corporate Officer. Mr. Toney joined Ford in 2000 after a career at Caterpillar and Honda. He served as Director, North American logistics, FCSD; director, North American operations, Material Planning and Logistics; and Director, global parts supply and logistics, FCSD. He served as Executive Director, Material Planning and Logistics since November 2005.
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About Ford Motor: Ford Motor is an automotive company that develops, manufactures, and distributes vehicles, parts, and accessories.
Ken Washington
Vice President, Research & Advanced Engineering & CTO of Ford Motor
Dr. Ken Washington is Vice President of Research and Advanced Engineering and Chief Technology Officer, Ford Motor Company, effective June 1, 2017. In this role, Washington will continue to lead Ford’s worldwide research organization, overseeing the development and implementation of the company’s technology strategy and plans, and playing a key role in the company’s expansion into emerging mobility opportunities. He reports to Jim Farley, president, New Businesses, Technology & Strategy, Ford Motor Company. Prior to joining Ford, he was vice president of the Advanced Technology Center at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. In this role, Washington was responsible for leading a team of scientists and engineers in performing research and development in space science and related R&D. Previously, he served as Lockheed Martin Corporation’s first chief privacy officer, a role in which he built the company’s privacy program, set the privacy strategy direction and established a team of privacy professionals to execute the strategy. Washington also previously served as the vice president and chief technology officer for the Lockheed Martin internal IT organization, where he was responsible for shaping the future of the corporation’s information technology enterprise. Prior to joining Lockheed Martin in February 2007, Washington served as chief information officer for Sandia National Laboratories, where he also previously served in a variety of technical, management, and program leadership positions. He has a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degree in Nuclear Engineering from Texas A&M University and is a fellow of the MIT Seminar XXI program on International Relations.
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About Ford Motor: Ford Motor is an automotive company that develops, manufactures, and distributes vehicles, parts, and accessories.
Samyak Pandya
Vice President, Business Operations and Finance of Ridecell
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About Ridecell: Ridecell provides car-sharing, ride-sharing, short-term leases, and autonomous vehicle fleet services for car rental companies.
Charlie Ackerman
Senior Vice President Human Resources of Bosch
Charlie Ackerman is a senior vice president of Human Resources, North America, for Bosch in July 2009. In this assignment, Ackerman focuses on preparing, shaping and managing the people strategies to achieve Bosch North America’s growth plans. Ackerman is located in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Since joining Bosch in 1995, Ackerman has held a number of assignments in the human resources function, including leadership positions in Charleston, South Carolina, and Stuttgart, Germany. His most recent position, beginning in 2005, was as vice president of human resources, North America for Bosch’s powertrain business. Prior to joining Bosch, Ackerman held human resources and manufacturing positions with Asten Inc. and International Paper. Ackerman serves on Bosch’s global Human Resources Council and is a board member of Bosch in Canada. Ackerman earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mississippi State University.
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About Bosch: The Bosch Group is a global supplier of technology and services.
George Hotz
President of comma.ai
George Hotz is the President at comma.ai.
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About comma.ai: comma is solving self driving cars while delivering shippable intermediaries: openpilot and the comma two.
Eric Chaniot
Chief Digital Officer & Senior Vice President of Michelin
Eric Chaniot is a dynamic and seasoned innovator, who has been in the technology business for over 20 years. He began his career at Apple Inc. in the mid 90’s, and was responsible for the first wireless notebook. He then left to build on his expertise at another technology power player, Hewlett-Packard Company, where he created many products and product lines and ran businesses in networking, personal computing, software and printing. With many successful product lines, he helped generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the company. After Eric left HP, he created an Internet start-up in Europe called Internet Word of Mouth, iWoM. The premise of this start-up was to make Internet ratings and reviews more reliable, by using proprietary technology. After growing his entrepreneurial expertise and learning how to develop and run a start-up company, he moved to the United States and created Tire Intelligence, a data and software start-up. This company enabled tire manufacturers, tire distributors and tire dealers to manage their businesses more efficiently and to drastically improve their presence on the Internet.
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About Michelin: Michelin is a tire company dedicated to sustainably improve the mobility of goods and people by manufacturing and marketing.
Geoffrey Martin
President and Chief Executive Officer of CCL Industries
Geoffrey Martin joined CCL as President of CCL Label in April 2001. In May 2005 he assumed the role of President and COO of CCL Industries and President and Chief Executive Officer in May 2008. He is responsible for all CCL’s operating units including the Label, Avery and Container businesses. Martin is an international business leader with a proven track record in turnarounds, mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining CCL, he was the Senior Group Vice President, Worldwide Converting Graphic and Specialty Tapes with Avery Dennison.
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About CCL Industries: CCL is the largest label company in the world and provides innovative solutions.
Eric Frantz
Vice President Operations, Home & Personal Care North America of CCL Industries
Eric Frantz is a Vice President Operations, Home & Personal Care North America at CCL Industries.
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About Aerobal, CCL Industries: CCL is the largest label company in the world and provides innovative solutions.
Jim Sellors
President, Avery North America of CCL Industries
Sellors spent his formative business career at CCL in the Finance function and rejoined the Company in 2002 as Vice President and General Manager of CCL Label Canada eventually assuming the role of Group Vice President of CCL Label Healthcare and Specialty, North America and Australia in 2010. Sellors was promoted to President of Avery North America in July 2013. Prior to rejoining CCL, he was the Vice President of Marketing for the Rubbermaid Closet Products division of Newell Rubbermaid. Sellors holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario.
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About CCL Industries: CCL is the largest label company in the world and provides innovative solutions.
Ben Rubino
President, Home & Personal Care Worldwide of CCL Industries
Rubino was appointed President, Home & Personal Care Worldwide, in November of 2011 adding responsibility for CCL Container in 2014. Rubino graduated from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, and is a 25 year veteran of CCL Label progressing through various sales and business leadership assignments. Prior to CCL, Rubino worked in the Pressure Sensitive Materials segment at Avery Dennison.
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About CCL Industries: CCL is the largest label company in the world and provides innovative solutions.
Mark McClendon
Vice President and General Counsel of CCL Industries
Mark McClendon joined CCL as General Counsel USA in 2013 from Avery Dennison Corporation, where he was Group Counsel and NA Corporate Ethics Officer, with worldwide compliance, environmental and litigation responsibilities, since 2007. Prior to that, McClendon was with BASF and its affiliates from 1998 to 2007. McClendon earned a J.D. from Marquette University and is a member of the Wisconsin and Ohio State Bar Associations. He has served on the Board of Directors for the American Corporation Counsel Association for North East Ohio since 2006, including as President from 2011 to 2012, and on the Board of Governors for the Ohio State Bar Association – Litigation Section since 2007. McClendon was promoted to his current position in 2014 and is now responsible for all legal matters globally for the Company.
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About CCL Industries: CCL is the largest label company in the world and provides innovative solutions.
Bill Goldsmith
Vice President and General Manager, CCL Design USA of CCL Industries
Bill Goldsmith is a Vice President and General Manager, CCL Design USA at CCL Industries.
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About CCL Industries: CCL is the largest label company in the world and provides innovative solutions.
Andy Iseli
Vice President and General Manager, CCL Tube of CCL Industries
Andy Iseli is a Vice President and General Manager, CCL Tube at CCL Industries.
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About CCL Industries: CCL is the largest label company in the world and provides innovative solutions.
John Pedroli
President, CCL Industries North America of CCL Industries
John Pedroli serves as President of North American Operations at CCL Industries Inc.
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About CCL Industries, Southern Glazer’s: CCL is the largest label company in the world and provides innovative solutions.
Allison Phillips
Vice President and General Manager, Avery North America Printable Media of CCL Industries
Allison Phillips is a Vice President and General Manager, Avery North America Printable Media at CCL Industries.
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About Avery Dennison, CCL Industries: CCL is the largest label company in the world and provides innovative solutions.
Al Green
Vice President of Technology Development of CCL Industries
Al Green is a Vice President of Technology Development at CCL Industries.
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About CCL Industries: CCL is the largest label company in the world and provides innovative solutions.
Rod Copes
President, North America of Royal Enfield
Rod Copes graduated from LGO in 1993, and recently discussed his career at Harley-Davidson and Royal Enfield with Forbes Magazine.
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About Royal Enfield: Royal Enfield is an Indian motorcycle manufacturing company.
Mark F. O’Neil
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dealertrack
Mark F. O’Neil is Chief Operating Officer of Cox Automotive, a position he has held since March 2016. Previously he served as Chief Executive Officer of Dealertrack, a position he had held since May 2005. From August 2001 to May 2005, he was Chief Executive Officer and President of Dealertrack. O’Neil began his career at Intel Corporation, where he first developed his knowledge of the technology industry. He subsequently worked for McKinsey & Co. before moving to the automotive industry in the late 1980s, where he was President of Ertley MotorWorld, a dealer group based in Pennsylvania. O’Neil went on to co-found and lead the development and rollout of CarMax, Inc. He was President and Chief Operating Officer of Greenlight.com, an online automotive sales website, from June 2000 through January 2001. He currently serves as a Director of DealerTire LLC, a privately held company. O’Neil holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
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About Dealertrack: DealerTrack is a provider of on-demand software for the automotive industry in the United States.
Jamie Bonini
Vice President, TSSC of Toyota Motor
James “Jamie” Bonini is vice president of TSSC at Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. (TEMA), located near Cincinnati in Erlanger, Kentucky. TEMA supports Toyota’s engineering and manufacturing operations in North America. TSSC is a not-for-profit corporation affiliated with TEMA which shares Toyota Production System (TPS) know-how with North American organizations that have a true desire to learn and adopt TPS; as a way to strengthen their production system. Bonini began his career with Toyota in 2002, as assistant general manager for TSSC, responsible for planning and leading shop floor improvement activities. He later joined Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky’s powertrain group as assistant general manager responsible for V6 and four cylinder engines as well as axle production, quality and safety.
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About Toyota Motor: Toyota is an automotive company that manufactures and markets vehicles to over 170 countries and regions.
Mina Rezk
Co-founder, President, and Chief Technology Officer of Aeva
Mina Rezk is a Co-founder, President, and Chief Technology Officer of Aeva.
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About Aeva: Aeva develops a sensing and perception paradigm for autonomous machines.
Patrick Jermain
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Plexus Corporation
Patrick Jermain is our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Patrick joined Plexus in 2010 as Corporate Controller and progressed quickly to our Treasurer and Vice President of Finance. He was promoted to his current role in May 2014 and is responsible for finance, tax and treasury functions and maintaining internal controls, external reporting, and investor relations. Prior to joining Plexus, Patrick was the Corporate Controller, Assistant Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer at Appleton Papers Inc., currently known as Appvion, Inc. Mr. Jermain also held the positions of Director of Enterprise Risk Management and Corporate Secretary while at Appleton Papers. Prior to Appleton Papers, Mr. Jermain served as Vice President – Finance and Corporate Controller at Banta Corporation, acquired by R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company, and was a Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Patrick earned an MBA from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Wake Forest University, and is a certified public accountant.
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About Plexus Corporation: Plexus uses unique Product Realization service model to transform your concepts into branded products and deliver to your target markets.
Dean Foate
Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer of Plexus Corporation
Dean Foate is our Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer. Dean joined Plexus in 1984 as a Design Engineer in our Engineering Solutions Group. After holding a number of leadership roles in our engineering organization, he was named president of the business unit in 1992. He was next promoted to Executive Vice President, where he assumed leadership over the company’s strategic growth initiatives. In 2001, Dean became our Chief Operating Officer, which led to his appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer in 2002. In 2013, Dean was named the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Dean holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s degree in engineering management from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
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About Plexus Corporation: Plexus uses unique Product Realization service model to transform your concepts into branded products and deliver to your target markets.
Steve Schwinke
Vice President Customer Engagement of Sibros
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About Sibros: Sibros offers automotive cloud solutions including OTA software updates, data logging, fleet management, and vehicle analytics.
Abdallah Shanti
Executive Vice President of Volkswagen Group
Abdallah Shanti is Executive Vice President and Group Chief Information Officer for IT Region Americas. In this role, Shanti leads IT strategy, direction, and operations for all of the countries within the Americas Region, which includes the US, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and South Africa. Shanti reports directly to Hinrich J. Woebcken, president and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. Shanti also coordinates globally to increase focus on Volkswagen’s technology infrastructure to ensure systems and processes are in place to meet business targets, reporting directly to Dr. Martin Hofmann, Group Chief Information Officer, Volkswagen AG. Shanti joined Volkswagen with nearly 27 years of IT and engineering experience within the automotive industry. Prior to Volkswagen, Shanti served as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer with ANX. Prior to ANX, Shanti held several leadership roles at American Axle & Manufacturing Inc., where he was Vice President of IT and Chief Information Officer; there his responsibilities also included electronic engineering and global purchasing. Shanti was also General Director of Global System Engineering and Application development at General Motors. Shanti earned a master’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Oakland University, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Illinois State University.
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About Volkswagen Group, Volkswagen Group: Volkswagen Group is a multinational automotive company that manufactures variety of vehicles.
Sam L. Susser
President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Susser Holdings Corporation
Sam L. Susser has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the general partner of Susser Petroleum Partners LP since its initial public offering in in 2012. Mr. Susser also serves as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Susser Holdings Corporation. Prior to founding the Southguard Corporation (the predecessor to Susser Holdings) in 1988, Mr. Susser spent 1985 to 1987 with Salomon Brothers Inc. in New York City and in Dallas in the corporate finance division and the mergers and acquisitions group. He received a BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin in 1985.
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About : Susser that operates 630 convenience stores in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, with 583 under the Stripes® banner.
Keith Cozza
President, CEO & Director of Icahn Enterprises
Keith Cozza has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Icahn Enterprises L.P. and its general partner, Icahn Enterprises G.P., Inc., since February 2014, and as a director since September 2012. Mr. Cozza served as Executive Vice President from February 2013 to February 2014. Mr. Cozza has served as the Chief Operating Officer of Icahn Capital, a wholly owned subsidiary of Icahn Enterprises and Icahn Enterprises Holdings, since February 2013. Mr. Cozza has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Icahn Associates Holding LLC, a company controlled by Carl C. Icahn, since 2006. From 2004 to 2006 Mr. Cozza served as Controller at Icahn Associates Holding LLC. Prior to that Mr. Cozza was a senior assurance associate at Grant Thornton LLP. Mr. Cozza has been a director of: The Pep Boys – Manny, Moe & Jack, an automotive parts installer and retailer, since February 2016; a director of: FCX Oil & Gas Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Freeport-McMoRan Inc., since October 2015; IEH Auto Parts LLC, since June 2015; Tropicana Entertainment Inc., since February 2014; PSC Metals Inc., since February 2014; Herbalife Ltd., a nutrition company, since April 2013 and XO Holdings, a competitive provider of telecom services, since August 2011. Mr. Cozza has also been a member of the Executive Committee of American Railcar Leasing LLC since June 2014. Mr. Cozza was previously a director of CVR Refining GP, LLC, the general partner of CVR Refining, LP, from January 2013 to February 2014; and MGM Holdings Inc., an entertainment company focused on the production and distribution of film and television content, from April 2012 to August 2012. XO Holdings is indirectly controlled by Carl C. Icahn. Mr. Icahn also has or previously had non-controlling interests in Freeport-McMoRan, Herbalife and MGM Holdings through the ownership of securities. Mr. Cozza brings to his service as a director his significant experience in leadership roles as director of various companies as discussed above. In particular, his experience as the Chief Financial Officer of Icahn Associates Holding LLC enables him to understand the complex business and financial issues that we may face.
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About Icahn Enterprises: Icahn Enterprises L.P. (NASDAQ: IEP), a master limited partnership, is a diversified holding company engaged in nine primary business.
Percy Vaughn
Vice President, Eastern Sales Operations of Kia Motors America
Percy Vaughn is the Vice President, Eastern Sales Operations at Kia Motors America (KMA). Vaughn joined KMA in 1995, opening the company’s Southern Region office. He oversees KMA’s Southern and Eastern Region sales functions. With nearly 30 years of experience, Vaughn has held multiple positions with Hyundai Motor America and Ford Motor Company. Vaughn holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and an MBA from Atlanta University. Vaughn and his wife Audree have two children. He enjoys spoiling his grandchildren and giving back to his community.
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About Kia Motors America, Kia Motors America: Kia Motors America designs, markets, and sells automobiles.
Orth Hedrick
Vice President of Product Planning of Kia Motors America
Orth Hedrick is the Vice President of Product Planning at Kia Motors America (KMA). Hedrick joined KMA in October of 2009 as the Director of Product Planning. He oversees both current and future Product portfolio’s at Kia Motors America. Hedrick brings more than 28 years of automotive experience to KMA. He comes to us from Nissan North America, where he served as the Senior Manager of Product Planning. While at Nissan he led successive assignments in both Marketing and Product Planning; covering Pickup/SUV’s, commercial vehicles, Electric Vehicles, Sporty Cars and Small Cars. Hedrick is originally from Gallup, New Mexico. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering at the University of New Mexico’s Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, NM. Hedrick’s career in the automotive industry stems from his passion for automobiles. He is a proud member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Hedrick currently resides in Orange County, where he enjoys spending his spare time at the beach and with his friends and family.
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About Kia Motors America: Kia Motors America designs, markets, and sells automobiles.
John Yoon
Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Kia Motors America
John Yoon is Executive Vice President, HR/Administration/Diversity Relations & General Counsel of Kia Motors America (KMA). He joined KMA in March, 2000. Yoon, a 12-year veteran of the automotive industry, previously served as Managing Corporate Counsel at KMA. His current responsibilities include overall supervision and management of KMA’s Legal, Human Resources, and Administration Departments. Prior to joining KMA, Yoon served as a partner at Lee & Hong in Los Angeles, where he provided executive legal advice to international corporate and automotive firms. Prior to that, he was an associate attorney at the Los Angeles office of Lewis Bisgaard Brisbois and Smith, where he practiced in the areas of corporate law and commercial litigation. Yoon received his J.D. degree from UCLA Law School, and his B.A. in Literature from Harvard College. A Los Angeles native and resident, Yoon’s personal interests include literature, contemporary art and classical music.
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About Kia Motors America: Kia Motors America designs, markets, and sells automobiles.
Tim Chaney
Vice President, Marketing Communications of Kia Motors America
Tim Chaney is the Vice President, Marketing Communications, at Kia Motors America, Inc. (KMA). He oversees all national and regional advertising as well as experiential marketing, digital marketing, CRM, and sports and other sponsorships. Chaney joined KMA in April of 2001 as the National Advertising Manager. With more than 28 years of automotive industry experience, Chaney came to KMA from Nissan North America, where he led successive assignments on both regional and national levels in Parts & Service, Remarketing, E-Business and Advertising. Chaney earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing at San Diego State University. He currently resides in Aliso Viejo, Calif., with his family and enjoys spending his free time playing sports, traveling, and reading up on history.
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About Kia Motors America: Kia Motors America designs, markets, and sells automobiles.
Keith Jun
Vice President, Finance of Kia Motors America
Keith Jun is Vice President, Finance of Kia Motors America (KMA). He joined KMA in April 1993. Jun is primarily responsible for overseeing Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Procurement, Corporate Taxes and Imports, Budget, Cash Management and Retail Financing Liaison. A 13-year automotive veteran, he came to KMA from KPMG, an international accounting firm. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from UCLA. Born in Seoul, Korea and raised in Southern California, Jun now resides in Cerritos, Calif. with his wife Aeyun (Ann) and two children, Matthew and Elizabeth. In his spare time he enjoys golfing.
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About Kia Motors America: Kia Motors America designs, markets, and sells automobiles.
Christopher Wendel
President and Co-Founder of Volta Charging
Chris is a global finance executive with 20 years of experience running large sales teams and raising capital in equity markets. The bulk of this time was with Goldman Sachs in the United States, Germany, and Japan. While on sabbatical in Hawaii, Chris stumbled upon Volta stations at the Kailua Whole Foods. He soon after became an investor and joined Volta as partner and CFO in 2012. Chris lives in Napa with his wife and three children, loves flying, and will challenge you to a tennis match any day of the week. He and his wife each drive a Tesla Model S in fire engine red and metallic blue.
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About Volta Charging: Volta Charging designs, installs, and maintains a network of electric vehicle charging stations.
Abdellah Cherkaoui
Senior Vice President – Government, Automotive & Utilities of Volta Charging
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About Volta Charging: Volta Charging designs, installs, and maintains a network of electric vehicle charging stations.
Anne Lukanc
Vice President Sales of Volta Charging
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About Volta Charging: Volta Charging designs, installs, and maintains a network of electric vehicle charging stations.
Ross Hatamiya
Vice President of Media Sales of Volta Charging
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About Volta Charging: Volta Charging designs, installs, and maintains a network of electric vehicle charging stations.
Mike Schott
Senior Vice President, Sales of Volta Charging
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About Volta Charging: Volta Charging designs, installs, and maintains a network of electric vehicle charging stations.
George Palikaras
Founder, President/CEO of Metamaterial Inc.
Founder at Metamaterial Technologies
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About Metamaterial Inc.: Mastering Light using Smart Materials & Photonics. Changing the way we use, interact and benefit from Light.
Mark Malcolm
President and Chief Executive Officer of Tower International
President and Chief Executive Officer of Tower International, Inc. since August 2007. Senior Advisor to Cerberus Capital Management from 2006 to 2007. Executive Vice President and Controller of Ford Credit from 2004 to 2005. Director of Finance and Strategy, Global Purchasing of Ford from 2002 to 2004. Mr. Malcolm currently serves as a director of Tower International, Inc.
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About Tower International: Tower International is a leading integrated global manufacturer of engineered structural metal components and assemblies.
James Gouin
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Tower International
James Gouin has served as our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since November 1, 2007. Prior to joining us, Mr. Gouin served in 2007 as a senior managing director of the corporate financial practice of FTI Consulting, Inc., a business advisory firm. Prior to joining FTI, Mr. Gouin spent 28 years at Ford Motor Company in a variety of senior positions, including as the Vice President, Finance and Global Corporate Controller from 2003 to 2006 and as the Vice President of Finance, Strategy and Business Development of Ford Motor Company’s International Operations from 2006 to 2007.
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About Tower International: Tower International is a leading integrated global manufacturer of engineered structural metal components and assemblies.
Jeff Shaw
Executive Vice President of Store Operations & Sales of O’Reilly Auto Parts
Jeff Shaw, Executive Vice President of Store Operations and Sales, has been an O’Reilly Team Member since 1990. Jeff’s primary areas of responsibility are Store Operations, Sales, Real Estate, Human Resources, Training, Jobber Sales, and Acquisitions. Jeff’s O’Reilly career began as a Parts Specialist and progressed through the roles of Store Manager, District Manager, Regional Manager, Vice President of the Southern Division, Vice President of Sales and Operations, and Senior Vice President of Sales and Operations. Jeff has held the position of Executive Vice President of Store Operations and Sales since 2013.
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About O’Reilly Auto Parts: O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. is a specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories.
Jeffrey Groves
Senior Vice President of Legal & General Counsel of O’Reilly Auto Parts
Jeffrey Groves, Senior Vice President of Legal and General Counsel, has been an O’Reilly Team Member since 2005. Jeffrey’s primary areas of responsibility are Corporate Governance, Regulatory Matters, Internal Audit, Uninsured Litigation, Labor and Employment, and Real Estate and Intellectual Property. Jeffrey’s O’Reilly career began as Director of Legal and Claim Services and progressed through the roles of Director of Legal and Claim Services and General Counsel, and Vice President of Legal and Claim Services and General Counsel. Prior to joining O’Reilly, Jeffrey worked in a private civil defense trial practice. Jeffrey has held the position of Senior Vice President of Legal and General Counsel since 2016.
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About O’Reilly Auto Parts: O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. is a specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories.
Greg Johnson
President, Chief Executive Officer of O’Reilly Auto Parts
Greg Johnson, Executive Vice President of Supply Chain, has been an O’Reilly Team Member since 2001 when the company purchased Mid-State Automotive. Greg’s career in the automotive industry began in 1982. Greg’s primary areas of responsibility are Distribution Operations, Logistics, Purchasing, Inventory Management, Merchandise, Pricing, and Advertising. Greg’s career began as a part-time distribution center team member and progressed through the roles of Retail Systems Manager, Warehouse Management Systems Development Manager, Director of Distribution, Vice President of Distribution Operations, and Senior Vice President of Distribution Operations. Greg has held the position of Executive Vice President of Supply Chain since 2014.
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About O’Reilly Auto Parts: O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. is a specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories.
Larry Ellis
Senior Vice President of Distribution of O’Reilly Auto Parts
Larry Ellis, Senior Vice President of Distribution Operations, has been an O’Reilly Team Member since 2008 when the company purchased CSK Auto Corporation. Larry began his career on the shipping docks with Fleenor’s Auto in Indiana. At O’Reilly, Larry’s primary areas of responsibility are Distribution Operations and Logistics. Larry’s career began as a distribution center team member and progressed through the roles of Distribution Center Supervisor, Distribution Center Manager, Director of Distribution Operations, Vice President of Logistics, Senior Vice President of Distribution and Logistics with CSK, Vice President of Western Division Distribution Operations, and Vice President of Distribution Operations with O’Reilly. Larry has held the position of Senior Vice President of Distribution Operations since 2014.
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About O’Reilly Auto Parts: O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. is a specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories.
Jeff Lauro
Senior Vice President of Information Systems of O’Reilly Auto Parts
Jeff Lauro, Senior Vice President of Information Systems, has been an O’Reilly Team Member since 2015 and has held his position as Senior Vice President of Information Systems since that time. Jeff’s primary area of responsibility is Information Systems. Prior to joining O’Reilly, Jeff held the position of Chief Information Officer for Payless ShoeSource, with direct responsibility for Solution Delivery, Infrastructure and Operations, and Enterprise Architecture. Prior to joining Payless, Jeff was the Vice President, Global Information Technology Service Delivery Director for The TJX Companies, Inc., with direct responsibility for Global Information Technology Service Management, Operations, Implementation and Disaster Recovery.
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About O’Reilly Auto Parts: O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. is a specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories.
Brad Beckham
Senior Vice President of Central Store Operations & Sales of O’Reilly Auto Parts
Brad Beckham, Senior Vice President of Central Store Operations and Sales, has been an O’Reilly Team Member since 1996. Brad’s primary areas of responsibility are Store Operations and Sales for O’Reilly’s Central Operations. Brad’s O’Reilly career began as a Parts Specialist and progressed through the roles of Store Manager, District Manager, Regional Manager, Divisional Vice President, and Vice President of Eastern Store Operations and Sales. Brad has held the position of Senior Vice President of Central Store Operations and Sales since 2014.
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About O’Reilly Auto Parts: O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. is a specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories.
Scott Kraus
Senior Vice President of Real Estate & Expansion of O’Reilly Auto Parts
Scott Kraus, Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Expansion, has been an O’Reilly Team Member since 1999. Scott’s primary areas of responsibility are Real Estate Expansion and Acquisitions. Scott’s O’Reilly career began as a Parts Specialist and progressed through the roles of Store Manager, District Manager, Regional Field Sales Manager, Regional Manager, Divisional Vice President, and Vice President of Real Estate. Scott has held the position of Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Expansion since 2016.
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About O’Reilly Auto Parts: O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. is a specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories.
Keith Childers
Senior Vice President of Western Store Operations & Sales of O’Reilly Auto Parts
Keith Childers, Senior Vice President of Western Store Operations and Sales, has been an O’Reilly Team Member since 2000 when the company purchased KarPro. Keith’s primary areas of responsibility are Store Operations and Sales for O’Reilly’s Western Operations. Keith’s career began as a Parts Specialist and progressed through the roles of Store Manager, District Manager, Regional Manager, Vice President of CSK Store Operations Integration, and Vice President of Western Store Operations and Sales. Keith has held the position of Senior Vice President of Western Store Operations and Sales since 2014.
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About O’Reilly Auto Parts: O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. is a specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories.
Robert Dumas
Senior Vice President of Eastern Store Operations & Sales of O’Reilly Auto Parts
Robert Dumas, Senior Vice President of Eastern Store Operations and Sales, has been an O’Reilly Team Member since 2001 when the company purchased Mid-State. Robert’s primary areas of responsibility are Store Operations and Sales for O’Reilly’s Eastern Operations. Robert’s career started as a parts specialist and progressed to assistant store manager, installer service specialist, night manager, associate manager, store manager, district manager, regional manager, and divisional vice president. Robert has held the position of Senior Vice President of Eastern Store Operations and Sales since 2016.
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About O’Reilly Auto Parts: O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. is a specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories.
David Wilbanks
Senior Vice President of Merchandise of O’Reilly Auto Parts
David Wilbanks, Senior Vice President of Merchandise, has been an O’Reilly Team Member since 2012. David’s primary areas of responsibility are Merchandise and Pricing. David has been in the auto parts industry since 1989. Prior to O’Reilly, David worked at AutoZone for 13 years in a variety of Merchandise roles, most recently as Director of Merchandise. He began his O’Reilly career as Vice President of Merchandise for hard parts. David has held the position of Senior Vice President of Merchandise since 2016.
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About O’Reilly Auto Parts: O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. is a specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories.
Randy Johnson
Senior Vice President of Inventory Management of O’Reilly Auto Parts
Randy Johnson, Senior Vice President of Inventory Management has been an O’Reilly Team Member since 1973. Randy’s primary areas of responsibility are Inventory Management, Purchasing, Logistics, and Store Design. Randy’s O’Reilly career began as a distribution center team member and progressed through the roles of Customer Service Manager, Inventory Control Manager, Director of Store Inventory Management, and Vice President of Store Inventory Management. Randy has held the position of Senior Vice President of Inventory Management since 2010.
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About O’Reilly Auto Parts: O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. is a specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories.
Tony Bartholomew
Senior Vice President of Professional Sales of O’Reilly Auto Parts
Tony Bartholomew, Senior Vice President of Professional Sales, has been an O’Reilly Team Member since 1982. Tony’s primary area of responsibility is Professional Sales. Tony’s O’Reilly career began as a Delivery Specialist and progressed through the roles of Parts Specialist, Assistant Manager, Night Manager, Merchandising Set Up Crew Supervisor, Equipment Sales Manager, Regional Field Sales Manager, Director of Southern Division Sales, and Vice President of Professional Sales. Tony has held the position of Senior Vice President of Professional Sales since 2013.
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About O’Reilly Auto Parts: O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. is a specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories.
Scott Frank
Vice President of Marketing of Airbiquity
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About Airbiquity: Airbiquity designs, operates and manages telematics connectivity infrastructure.
Keith Kocourek
President and Owner of Kocourek Auto Group
Keith Kocourek is the owner and president of Kocourek Automotive, an automotive company that currently has six dealerships in Wausau, Wisconsin. An avid pilot for over 25 years, Keith has flown medical flights for Angel Flight and has been a supporter of the EAA Young Eagles program, as well as EAA’s Gathering of Eagles. Keith is also a member of the President’s Circle for EAA. He currently owns and flies a Beechcraft King Air, a WACO ZPF-7 and a Super Cub float plane.
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About Kocourek Auto Group: Here at Kocourek Auto Group, we take pride in providing friendly and honest service to the Wausau, Wisconsin community.
Rainer Jueckstock
Executive Vice President Tenneco and President Federal Mogul Powertrain. of Federal Mogul
Rainer Jueckstock is Co-Chairman of the Board and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Federal-Mogul LLC, and Chief Executive Officer, Federal-Mogul Powertrain. Jueckstock has more than two decades in leadership positions with Federal-Mogul’s global operations. Prior to assuming his current position, Jueckstock was Senior Vice President, Powertrain Energy, a member of the Strategy Board and an officer of Federal-Mogul Corporation. Jueckstock joined Federal-Mogul in 1990 and has held several operations, sales and finance leadership roles within the Company, including Senior Vice President, Global Powertrain Operations, where he was responsible for all manufacturing locations and related activities worldwide. He was also Senior Vice President, Pistons, Rings and Liners; Vice President, Rings and Liners; Operations Director, Piston Rings, Europe; and Managing Director of the company’s operations in Friedberg, Germany. Previously, Jueckstock was Sales Director for Rings and Liners, Europe; Finance Controller in Rings, Europe; and Finance Manager in Dresden, Germany. Prior to joining Federal-Mogul, Jueckstock was a member of the German Military. He earned a degree in engineering from the Military College at Zittau, Germany. Jueckstock has also been a member of the Board of Directors of Plexus since 2013.
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About Federal Mogul: Federal-Mogul is an developer, manufacturer and supplier of powertrain components and vehicle safety products.
Randy Reibel
Vice President LIDAR of Aurora
Randy Reibel is the Vice President LIDAR of Aurora.
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About Aurora: Aurora is a self-driving vehicle company providing a platform that brings software and data services to operate passenger vehicles.
Jinnah Hosein
Vice President of Software Engineering of Aurora
Jinnah Hosein leads his own software engineering team in a VP role. Bringing on Hosein is a huge move for Aurora, which will now have some additional senior leadership taken to help direct and organize its growing engineering team, according to Aurora co-founder Chris Urmson . Hosein’s background includes his time as VP of Software Engineering at SpaceX, where he spent the past four years and oversaw projects including the recent successful Falcon Heavy launch. Before that, he was Director of Software Engineering at Google working on Google Cloud, site reliability and other software projects.
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About Aurora: Aurora is a self-driving vehicle company providing a platform that brings software and data services to operate passenger vehicles.
Eric Allen
CEO & President of LISNR
Eric Allen President former CTO (Japanese conglomerate), CEO (2 Exits);former Gracenote GM running $250M business unit in audio fingerprinting.
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About LISNR, LISNR: LISNR enables secure and seamless data transmission using the most advanced ultrasonic data technology
Craig Clayton
Vice President of Information Technology of Acertus
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About Acertus: Acertus operates as an automotive logistics company, providing unparalleled service and visibility into the transportation process.
Jeremy Cope
Executive Vice President of Logistics Operations & Strategy of Acertus
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About Acertus, Acertus: Acertus operates as an automotive logistics company, providing unparalleled service and visibility into the transportation process.
David R. Larson
Executive Vice President of Business Development & Sales Partner of Acertus
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About Acertus, JMN Logistics & Transportation: Acertus operates as an automotive logistics company, providing unparalleled service and visibility into the transportation process.
Melissa Trautman
Vice President of Marketing Strategy & Integration of Acertus
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About Acertus: Acertus operates as an automotive logistics company, providing unparalleled service and visibility into the transportation process.
Bob Brinson
Vice President of Finance of Acertus
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About Acertus: Acertus operates as an automotive logistics company, providing unparalleled service and visibility into the transportation process.
Earl Hesterberg
President, Chief Executive Officer & Director of Group 1 Automotive
Mr. Earl J. Hesterberg, Jr has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Group 1 Automotive Inc. since April 9, 2005. Mr. Hesterberg served as a Group Vice President of North America Marketing, Sales and Service for Ford Motor Co. from October 1, 2004 to April 11, 2005. Prior to joining Group 1 Automotive, he held various senior executive level sales, marketing, general management, operations and customer service positions in the United States and Europe.
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About Group 1 Automotive: Group 1 Automotive owns and operates about 130 franchises at approximately 100 dealerships, as well as about 25 collision service centers
James R. Druzbik
Vice President, Information Systems of Group 1 Automotive
James R. Druzbik has served as Group 1’s Vice President of Information Systems since November 2006. Since joining the Company in September 1999, he held the positions of Director of Information Systems from November 2002 – November 2006 and e-Commerce Manager from September 1999 – November 2002. Prior to joining Group 1, Druzbik served in various management , sales, operating and information systems roles with both Dealer Solutions and an automotive dealership. He earned a bachelors degree from the University of Houston.
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About Group 1 Automotive: Group 1 Automotive owns and operates about 130 franchises at approximately 100 dealerships, as well as about 25 collision service centers
Peter C. DeLongchamps
Senior Vice President of Group 1 Automotive
Peter C. DeLongchamps has served as Group 1’s Vice President, Manufacturer Relations, Financial Services and Public Affairs since January 2012. He previously served as Group 1’s Vice President, Manufacturer Relations and Public Affairs from January 2006 through December 2011, and as Vice President, Manufacturer Relations from July 2004 through December 2005. Mr. DeLongchamps began his automotive retailing career in 1980, having served as District Manager for General Motors Corporation and Regional Operations Manager for BMW of North America, as well as various other management positions in the automotive industry. Immediately prior to joining Group 1 in 2004, he was President of Advantage BMW, a Houston-based automotive retailer. Mr. DeLongchamps also serves on the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas.
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About Group 1 Automotive: Group 1 Automotive owns and operates about 130 franchises at approximately 100 dealerships, as well as about 25 collision service centers
John C. Rickel
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Group 1 Automotive
John C. Rickel was appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in December 2005. From 1984 until joining Group 1, Mr. Rickel held a number of executive and managerial positions of increasing responsibility with Ford Motor Company, a global manufacturer and distributor of cars, trucks and automotive parts. He most recently served as Controller, Ford Americas, where he was responsible for the financial management of Ford’s western hemisphere automotive operations. Immediately prior to that, he was Chief Financial Officer of Ford Europe, where he oversaw all accounting, financial planning, information services, tax and investor relations activities. From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Rickel was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ford Russia, and a member of the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee of Ford Otosan, a publicly traded automotive company located in Turkey and owned 41% by Ford.
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About Group 1 Automotive: Group 1 Automotive owns and operates about 130 franchises at approximately 100 dealerships, as well as about 25 collision service centers
Frank Grese Jr.
Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Training, and Operations Support of Group 1 Automotive
Frank Grese Jr. was appointed the Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Training, and Operations Support in February 2016. Previously, he served as a Regional Vice President since January 2006 and served as the Platform President of Group 1 Atlanta from December 2004 – December 2005. After graduating from the University of Georgia, he began his automotive career in the Ford Management Training Program in 1974. Following Ford, he joined Nissan where he ultimately held the position of National Dealer Advertising Manager. In 1986, Grese left the manufacturer side of the business and began working in various executive positions, including chief operating officer and district president, with large public and private dealer groups. He last served as Director of Dealership Operations, working extensively with underperforming stores, for a large private dealer group
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About Group 1 Automotive: Group 1 Automotive owns and operates about 130 franchises at approximately 100 dealerships, as well as about 25 collision service centers
Ronald W. Barnhill
Vice President – Taxes of Group 1 Automotive
Ronald W. Barnhill has served as Group 1’s Vice President – Taxes since January 2011. He previously held the position of Director of Taxation from March 2005 – January 2011. Prior to joining Group 1, Barnhill served as Director of Tax Reporting and Compliance for Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation. He previously worked for 13 years with the Tax Department of the public accounting firm KPMG, LLC. He is a Certified Public Accountant.
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About Group 1 Automotive: Group 1 Automotive owns and operates about 130 franchises at approximately 100 dealerships, as well as about 25 collision service centers
David Gann
Vice President of Investor Relations and Communications of Metaldyne Performance Group
David Gann was named our Vice President of Investor Relations and Communications in April 2016. He previously held the Director of Finance position for Metaldyne with responsibility for leading all finance and accounting activities. David Gann has been with the company and predecessor companies for over 14 years assisting the organization with their strategic growth and corporate development initiatives. He has held various financial positions focusing on cost reductions and cash flow improvements. He has also executed numerous assignments connected to the company’s growth strategy, investment opportunities, acquisitions, divestitures, turn-around restructuring and recapitalization activities. Prior to joining Metaldyne he worked for Arthur Andersen, LLP. David Gann holds a B.S. degree in Accounting from Michigan State University.
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About Metaldyne Performance Group, United Road Services: Metaldyne Performance Group provides diverse metal-forming and advanced machining and assembly
Thiru Ganesan
President & CEO of Kyyba, Inc. of Kyyba Inc.
Thiru Ganesan is the President & CEO of Kyyba, Inc., a Global IT Services company specializing in software development, staff augmentation, TurnKey solutions and business process outsourcing. Thiru, the co-founder and former Chief Operating Officer of Kyyba, Inc. was instrumental in building the company’s business when he joined in 2007. He carried the overall responsibility for the Strategy and Operations, Development, Marketing, Infrastructure Support, Training and HR operations of the organization. Prior to Kyyba, he worked as Lead IT Consultant in Principal Financial group and Nationwide Financial. Thiru is PMP certified from Nationwide Financials and has extensive experience in converting legacy application system to a GUI front end. He has received numerous accolades during this career in Principal and Nationwide.
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About Kyyba Inc.: Staffing, IT, Engineering
Jon Rudolph
President and CEO of Action Fabricators
Jon represents the second generation of leadership at Action. His involvement with the company and the industry extends to the very beginning of the company’s manufacturing and converting operations. He has over 20 years of industry experience and extensive knowledge of materials, processes and industry standards. Jon holds an MBA from Western Michigan University and a BA in Business from Taylor University.
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About Action Fabricators: Action Fab provides custom-made tapes, adhesive and non-adhesive-backed foams, rubbers, plastics and other specialty materials.
Mike Welch
Co-Founded Senior Vice President & Executive Officer of Texas Direct Auto
Earned Degree in Computer Science from Stephen F. Austin State University. Started career in 1994 as a Programmer with American General writing applications for the insurance industry. In 1996, joined Exxon-Mobile’s litigation department developing software used in multi-billion dollar litigation. Went on to co-found Medianet, a software company that specialized in writing billing engines for deregulated energy markets. In 2002, co-founded Texas Direct Auto, taking it from a small 2 person start-up to the largest independent dealership in the nation with over $3 Billion in total revenues.
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About Texas Direct Auto: With over $500M in annual sales, Texas Direct is the largest independent dealership in the nation and is the largest online Dealership.
Junli Gu
Vice President of Autonomous Driving of Xpeng Motors
Dr. Junli Gu is VP of Autonomous Driving at XMotors.ai, where she leads the efforts to build the self-driving solution on XMotors’ own massive production of electric cars. Before she joined Xmotors, Dr. Gu was lead for machine learning at Tesla Motors and developed key components of Tesla’s Autopilot 2.0.
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About Xpeng Motors: Xiaopeng Motors is an electric vehicle and technology company that designs and manufactures smart cars.
Albert Saltiel
Senior Vice-President of Marketing and Customer Satisfaction of AutoZone
Albert “Al” Saltiel was elected Senior Vice President, Marketing, Customer Satisfaction in April, 2013. Prior to that, he was Chief Marketing Officer and a key member of the leadership team at Navistar International Corporation. Saltiel has also been with Sony Electronics as General Manager, Marketing, and Ford Motor Company where he held multiple marketing roles.
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About AutoZone: AutoZone retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories.
Richard C. Smith
Senior Vice-President of Human Resources of AutoZone
Richard C. Smith was named Senior Vice President, Human Resources in January, 2016. Previously, he was Vice President – Stores. Mr. Smith joined AutoZone in 1985 and has served in various capacities with the Company.
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About AutoZone: AutoZone retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories.
William C. Rhodes
President and Chief Executive Officer for Customer Satisfaction of AutoZone
William C. Rhodes, III, was named Chairman of AutoZone during fiscal 2007 and has been President, Chief Executive Officer and a director since March 2005. Prior to his appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Rhodes was Executive Vice President – Store Operations and Commercial. Previously, he held several key management positions with the Company. Prior to 1994, Mr. Rhodes was a manager with Ernst & Young LLP. Mr. Rhodes is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Dollar General Corporation.
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About AutoZone: AutoZone retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories.
Charlie Pleas, III
Senior Vice-President and Controller of Customer Satisfaction of AutoZone
Charlie Pleas, III, was elected Senior Vice President and Controller during fiscal 2007. Prior to that, he was Vice President and Controller since 2003. Previously, he was Vice President – Accounting since 2000, and Director of General Accounting since 1996. Prior to joining AutoZone, Mr. Pleas was a Division Controller with Fleming Companies, Inc. where he served in various capacities since 1988.
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About AutoZone: AutoZone retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories.
Phillip B. Daniele
Senior Vice-President, Commercial, Customer Satisfaction of AutoZone
Phillip B. Daniel was named Senior Vice President, Commercial in October, 2015. Previously, he was Vice President – Commercial Support since 2008 and Divisional Vice President from 2005 to 2008. Prior to 2005, Mr. Daniele held several key management positions with the company.
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About AutoZone: AutoZone retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories.
Kristen Collier Wright
Senior Vice-President, General Counsel and Secretary, Customer Satisfaction of AutoZone
Kristen Collier Wright was elected Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Customer Satisfaction in January, 2014. Previously with AutoZone, she was Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary with oversight for Litigation, Labor and Employment law, Environmental, Regulatory and International Compliance, Policy and Procedure, and Operational Support. Prior to joining AutoZone, Wright was a partner with Bass, Berry & Sims in Memphis focusing on complex litigation, commercial and financial transactions, and intellectual property and technology.
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About AutoZone: AutoZone retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories.
Thomas B. Newbern
Executive Vice-President of Store Operations of AutoZone
Thomas B. Newbern was named Executive Vice President Store Operations, Commercial and Loss Prevention in October, 2015. Previously he was Senior Vice President – Store Operations and Loss Prevention since December 2013, Senior Vice President – Store Operations and Store Development from October 2012 to December 2013, Senior Vice President – Store Operations from fiscal 2007 to October 2012 and Vice President – Store Operations from fiscal 1998 to fiscal 2007. Prior to 1998, Mr. Newbern held several key management positions with the Company.
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About AutoZone: AutoZone retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories.
Mark A. Finestone
Executive Vice-President of Merchandising, Supply Chain and Marketing, Customer Satisfaction of AutoZone
Mark A. Finestone was named Executive Vice President – Merchandising, Supply Chain and Marketing in October, 2015 . Previously, he was Senior Vice President – Merchandising since fiscal 2008 and Vice President – Merchandising since 2002. Prior to joining AutoZone in 2002, Mr. Finestone worked for May Department Stores for 19 years where he held a variety of leadership roles which included Divisional Vice President, Merchandising.
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About AutoZone: AutoZone retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories.
William W. Graves
Executive Vice-President of Mexico, Brazil, IMC and Store Development, Customer Satisfaction of AutoZone
William W. Graves was named Executive Vice President – Mexico, Brazil, IMC and Store Development in October, 2015. Previously, he was Senior Vice President – Supply Chain and International since October, 2012, Senior Vice President – Supply Chain from fiscal 2006 to October 2012 and Vice President – Supply Chain from fiscal 2000 to fiscal 2006. From 1992 to 2000, Mr. Graves served in various capacities with the Company.
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About AutoZone: AutoZone retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories.
Ronald B. Griffin
Senior Vice-President and Chief Information Officer for Customer Satisfaction of AutoZone
Ronald B. Griffin was elected Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer in June 2012. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President, Global Information Technology at Hewlett-Packard Company. During his tenure at Hewlett-Packard Company, he also served as the Chief Information Officer for the Enterprise Business Division. Prior to that, Mr. Griffin was Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Fleming Companies, Inc. He also spent over 12 years with The Home Depot, Inc., with the last eight years in the role of Chief Information Officer. Mr. Griffin also served at Deloitte & Touche LLP and Delta Air Lines, Inc.
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About AutoZone: AutoZone retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories.
Brad Title
President, CEO and Founder of Gubagoo
Brad Title is the president, CEO, and founder of Gubagoo. Prior to that, Brad served as the vice president of sales at DME Automotive. He is a former national program manager at Cobalt and president and CEO of Cowboy Corp.
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About Gubagoo: Gubagoo is a leading provider of dealer live chat, text, video and Messenger solutions for the automotive industry.
Hak Cheol Shin
Vice Chair & Excutive Vice President , R&D, Supply Chain, BT & IT, Business Development of 3M
Hak Cheol Shin is the Chief Executive Officer at LG Chem.
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About 3M, LG Chem: 3M operates as a diversified technology company, manufacturing more than 55,000 products, including adhesives, laminates, and many more.
Robert Befidi
President, 3M Separation and Purification Sciences Division of 3M
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About 3M: 3M operates as a diversified technology company, manufacturing more than 55,000 products, including adhesives, laminates, and many more.
Ivan K. Fong
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of 3M
Mr. Ivan K. Fong has been Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs and General Counsel at 3M Company since October 15, 2012. Mr. Fong served as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he was responsible for advising DHS’s senior leadership on all significant legal, policy, and operational issues and leading over 1,800 lawyers. Prior to joining DHS in 2009, Mr. Fong served as the Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of Cardinal Health, Inc. from November 1, 2005 to May 2009 and served as its Executive Vice President since November 1, 2005. Previously, Mr. Fong served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel for General Electric’s Vendor Financial Services business, where he managed a wide range of litigation, compliance and public policy matters. Prior to joining GE in 2000, Mr. Fong served as deputy associate attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice, adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University and was a partner at the law firm Covington & Burling. Mr. Fong also served as a law clerk for the Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor of the U.S. Supreme Court. He served as President of the Stanford Law Review. Mr. Fong was a Fulbright Scholar at Oxford University, earned his Law degree from Stanford University and holds S.B. in chemical engineering and Master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was editorial chairman of MIT’s student newspaper.
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About 3M, 3M New Ventures: 3M operates as a diversified technology company, manufacturing more than 55,000 products, including adhesives, laminates, and many more.
Karen Carroll
Vice President and General Auditor of 3M
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About 3M: 3M operates as a diversified technology company, manufacturing more than 55,000 products, including adhesives, laminates, and many more.
Sarah Grauze
Vice President – Corporate Treasurer of 3M
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About 3M: 3M operates as a diversified technology company, manufacturing more than 55,000 products, including adhesives, laminates, and many more.
John Banovetz
Senior Vice President for Innovation and Stewardship and Chief Technology Officer of 3M
As chief technology officer and senior vice president of research and development, Dr. John Banovetz leads more than 8,000 scientists who connect 3M’s 46 technology platforms to solve the real-world needs of customers around the world. In this role, he leverages his many years of experience as both a technology and business leader. John came to 3M in 1995 as a research chemist in the corporate R&D organization, working primarily on acrylic adhesives and tapes. In 2003 he joined McKinsey and Company, and in 2007 rejoined 3M and assumed responsibility for the overall planning and implementation of corporate strategic initiatives. He served in that role until 2012, when he became global business director for 3M’s Industrial Adhesives and Tapes Division. Three years later, he was tapped to lead 3M’s corporate research lab. In 2016, John moved to West Europe to serve as Managing Director of 3M’s D-A-CH region, which represents the company’s combined operations in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. He was appointed 3M’s chief technology officer and senior vice president of research and development in July 2017. In his current position, John remains focused on driving change, challenging the status quo and helping develop the 3M leaders of tomorrow. “Leadership is about serving more than yourself,” he says. “It’s about creating an environment that unlocks the full potential of teams and individuals and, as a result, achieves even higher performance and more engaged employees.” John has a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from Stanford University, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Hamline University. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and still lives in the same neighborhood he grew up in. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids, as well as a variety of outdoor activities including hiking, biking and fishing.
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About 3M: 3M operates as a diversified technology company, manufacturing more than 55,000 products, including adhesives, laminates, and many more.
Kiran Unni
Vice President, Business Unit Leader of Frost & Sullivan
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About Frost & Sullivan, Frost & Sullivan: Frost and Sullivan is a business growth consultation company focused on increasing brand demand.
Krishna Srinivasan
Global President of Frost & Sullivan
Mr. Srinivasan, Global President and Managing Partner of Frost & Sullivan, has been with the company for over twenty five years. Over the years, he has held a variety of positions with increasing responsibility, culminating in the role of President in the year 2000. He has played a key role in reshaping the company from its early days as a market research company to a full-fledged global growth consulting company focused on solving client challenges with customized business intelligence, growth strategies and training & implementation support.
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About Frost & Sullivan: Frost and Sullivan is a business growth consultation company focused on increasing brand demand.
Melanie Turek
Vice President, Research of Frost & Sullivan
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About Frost & Sullivan: Frost and Sullivan is a business growth consultation company focused on increasing brand demand.
Melanie Turek
Vice President, Research of Frost & Sullivan
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About Frost & Sullivan: Frost and Sullivan is a business growth consultation company focused on increasing brand demand.
Jill Trotta
President & GM RepairPal Express of RepairPal
Jill Trotta is the President & GM RepairPal Express at RepairPal.
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About RepairPal, RepairPal: RepairPal helps car owners find peace-of-mind with free, custom repair estimates, cars overviews, and recommendations to local, fair shops.
Kathleen Long
Vice President / General Manager, Networks (Biz Dev, Marketing, Relationships, Success & Operations) of RepairPal
For the last 16 years, Kathleen Long has provided thousands of practical business, payroll, and accounting solutions to small and medium sized businesses. She delights in helping entrepreneurs and accountants grow their businesses and achieve success, by helping them to streamline, automate and reduce manual work and paper. Kathleen joined Bill.com in July of 2010. Prior to that, Kathleen worked at Intuit and PayCycle, helping to grow and develop what ultimately became the largest online payroll service in the US! In each case, Kathleen built and developed world class, award-winning customer support teams and strategies. Kathleen has also been up close and personal with small businesses and their accountants, working as a business advisor to push her customers’ businesses to the second stage of growth and help them acquire business financing and lines of credit. This work has helped her really develop and absorb the mindset of the businesses she serves. Kathleen has a degree in General Studies and Philosophy from the University of Nevada Reno. She delights in music, theater, movies, reading, writing, laughing (too loud), talking (a lot) and being a kid all over again with her teenage son.
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About RepairPal: RepairPal helps car owners find peace-of-mind with free, custom repair estimates, cars overviews, and recommendations to local, fair shops.
Jill Trotta
President & GM RepairPal Express of RepairPal
Jill Trotta is the President & GM RepairPal Express at RepairPal.
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About RepairPal, RepairPal: RepairPal helps car owners find peace-of-mind with free, custom repair estimates, cars overviews, and recommendations to local, fair shops.
