The FISITA Academy of Technical Leadership has been established in order to create a unique status within the automotive and mobility systems engineering community, through which outstanding achievers can be acknowledged and recognised for their commitment and contribution to the technology of mobility.
The FISITA Academy endorsement delivers FISITA recognition and status for the world’s leading technology experts, as hand-picked on an annual basis by the FISITA President and an international team of advisors.
This unique status launches at a time of significant technological advancement as the traditional automobile industry rapidly evolves. Technology and technologists are leading this evolution, with the technology of mobility creating a high demand for the engineering capability required to progress the connected, autonomous, smart, clean and safe mobility solutions of today and tomorrow.

The FISITA Academy of Technical Leadership places its recipients within an exclusive group of international technologists, with exclusivity ensured through a strict review and selection process, identifying no more than twenty outstanding achievers to the Academy each year.
Ensuring that only those contributing significant leadership to the international automotive and mobility systems engineering community will be acknowledged through appointment to the FISITA Academy of Technical Leadership.
We are delighted to announce the inaugural recipients of this prestigious status and unique recognition, awarded to each of the following individuals during FISITA’s by-invitation technical leadership event, the FISITA World Mobility Summit in November 2019.


Mr. Christophe Aufrère
SVP Group CTO
Company
France

Prof. Chris Brace
Professor of Automotive Propulsion and Academic Director of the Institute Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems
Company
United Kingdom

Ms. Michelle Gardner
Vice President, Global Hardware Components and Subsystems
Company
United States

Prof. Mike Fangwu Ma
Executive President of the Automotive Research Institute
Company
China

Mr. Kunio Nakaguro
Company
Japan

Mr. Doug L. Parks
Executive Vice President, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain
Company
United States

Prof. Dr. -Ing. Rodolfo Schöneburg
Previously Director Development Safety, Durability, Corrosion Protection
Company
Germany

Mr. Hau Thai-Thang
Chief Product Platform and Operations Officer
Company
United States

Mr. Sijie Zu
Vice President and Chief Engineer
Company
China
2021 Academy Recipients

Dr. Volkmar Denner
Chairman of the Board of Management
Robert Bosch
Germany

Mr. Christophe Huss
Germany

Mr. Daniel E. Nicholson
VP, Global Electrification, Controls, Software and Electronic Hardware
General Motors
United States

Mr. Gaspar Gascon Abellan
Executive Vice President, Product Engineering
Groupe Renault
France

Ms. Nadine Leclair
Previously Senior Vice President, Expert Fellow
Groupe Renault
France

Dr. Akihiko Saito
Japan

Mr. Motoo Suzuki
Chairman of the Board
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation
Japan

Mr. Philippe Ventre
France

Mr. Ola Källenius
Chairman of the Board of Management
Mercedes Benz

Dr. Ken Washington
United States

Ms. Pamela Fletcher
Vice President – Global Innovation and R&D Laboratories
General Motors
United States

Prof. Dr. -Ing. Stefan Pischinger
President and Chief Executive Officer
FEV Group Holding GmbH
Germany

Prof. Frank Zhao
Professor and Director of Automotive Strategy Research Institute
Tsinghua University
China

Dr. Pawan Goenka
Managing Director & CEO
Mahindra & Mahindra
India

Mr. T. Russell Shields
CEO & President
RoadDB LLC
United States

Mr. Hideyuki Sakamoto
Executive Officer and Executive Vice President
Nissan Motor Corporation
Japan

Dr. Jun Li
Professor
China

Mr. Daniel M. Hancock
United States

Prof. Yasuhiro Daisho
Professor Emeritus
Waseda University
Japan

Prof. Klaus Kompass
Vice President Vehicle Safety
BMW Group
Germany

Mr. Ted Robertson
United States

Prof. Helmut List
Chairman & CEO
AVL List GmbH
Austria

Mr. Paul Mascarenas OBE
Independent Director, Business Advisor and Technology Executive
United States

Mr. James McKnight
United Kingdom

Mr. Shigeki Terashi
Executive Vice President, Member of the Board of Directors
Toyota Motor Corporation
Japan

Mr. Toshihiro Mibe
President Representative Director
Honda Motor
Japan

Mr. Fu Yuwu
Honorary President of China SAE
China
2019 Academy Recipients
The FISITA Academy of Technical Leadership has been established in order to create a unique status within the automotive and mobility systems engineering community, through which outstanding achievers can be acknowledged and recognised for their commitment and contribution to the technology of mobility.