FISITA has honoured a group of senior industry technologists at the second FISITA Academy of Technical Leadership awards. Each recipient has been recognised for their significant commitment and contribution to the industry.
This year’s FISITA Academy of Technical Leadership award recipients included:
Mr. Mike Anderson, General Motors. In addition to accepting the award, Mr. Anderson also accepted the position of FISITA President-elect and he said “success in the mobility business going forward will be largely dependent on the speed of technical learning, and learning fast means learning in parallel using many sources and means not the least of which is collaboration with other accomplished fast learners. I think FISITA is uniquely positioned to foster that type of non-competitive strategic collaboration across the globe while also being a leading advocate for engineering education so I’m excited to be a part of it and I hope to be able to make some strong contributions along the way.”
Dr. Amer A. Amer, Aramco said “I am honoured to be named as one of the recipients of this prestigious award. I have been working at the interface between fuels and engines for the past 30 years pushing technologies to its limits. It has been both challenging and rewarding.”
Mr. Remi Bastien, Groupe Renault said “I want to thank you so much for the great honour for this award… I want to deliver a message to all our engineers: you have a wonderful mission to contribute to build sustainable progress in mobility for the humanity and the planet by a stronger cooperation in our community.”
Mr. Gilles Le-Borgne, Groupe Renault said “It’s a great honour for me to receive the FISITA Academy of technical leadership award… I’m glad to be part of this inspiring global ecosystem that promotes the best of engineering solutions for world mobility systems.”
Mr. Carles Grasas, Applus+ IDIADA said “mobility engineers have tremendous technological challenges ahead as everything seems to be under a complete change, but we know that everything our minds can conceive, we can achieve. It’s a great honour to have been chosen for this award as there are so many other worthy candidates.”
Ms. Denise Gray, LG Chem Power Inc. said “I’m excited to be a part of an industry that’s pushed to innovate for the production of batteries for automotive and non-automotive applications. This innovation is only possible with the relationship partnership collaboration with suppliers, customers, research centres, and universities. Today I thank you so very much, it is an honour and a privilege to receive this award.”
Mr. Li Kaiguo, China Automotive Engineering Research Institute Co. Ltd. said “I am honoured to receive the FISITA Academy of Technical Leadership Award 2020… In the days to come, we will also maintain and strengthen the cooperation with FISITA to jointly facilitate the technological progress and promote the development of the global automobile industry.”
Mr. Lian Yubo, BYD Co. Ltd. said “I am now trying every effort to improve the NEV technology and bring forth to people who drive NEV cars. I’m very honoured and it’s a great privilege for my nomination for the FISITA technological leadership award this year. Thanks again!”
Mr. Rajendra Petkar, TATA Motors Ltd. said “it is my firm belief that automobiles should be seen as a means of imparting superior consumer experience rather than just as a means of transportation from point A to point B. I thank FISITA for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the FISITA Academy of Technical Leadership. Good day to all of you and stay safe.”
Mr. Matt Tsien, General Motors said “thank you to FISITA and my esteemed colleagues for this prestigious recognition. I’m extremely honoured. At GM we have a vision for a future of zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion, and I’m extremely proud of the work we’re doing to accelerate toward that future including innovations in breakthrough battery chemistry, EV’s and AV’s, safety features, and hands-free driving technologies. I’ve shared this recognition with the teams of passionate researchers and technologists at General Motors who I have the privilege of leading. Thank you.”
Mr. Takeshi Uchiyamada, Toyota Motor Co. said “I am very honoured to receive the FISITA Academy of Technical Leadership award. In 1994, I was appointed to lead our Toyota project to create a car for the 21st century. Our team set out to achieve a car that could help resolve resource and environmental issues and I concluded that we should develop a hybrid vehicle. Although we faced many difficulties, the hard work of numerous engineers allowed us to launch the Prius in 1997. I believe it is very important for engineers to have target and a sense of meaning that represents their aspirations. I hope that all engineers embrace their aspirations when taking up the challenge of developing new technologies for society and its people. Thank you.”
Originally scheduled to be held in Paris at the FISITA World Mobility Summit celebratory dinner alongside the handover of the FISITA President role, restrictions on travel and social gatherings around the world forced the Summit event to be held virtually in November. Summit Technical Sessions were held on Tuesday 10th and Thursday 12th November, with the World Café on Tuesday 17th November and the Summary Session on Friday 20th November. The Summary Session included the Academy of Technical Leadership awards, the FISITA Presidential handover, the announcement of the FISITA Mobility Engineering 2030 White Paper, summaries of the World Café sessions and a fireside chat between Jason Stein from Automotive News and Ellen MacArthur of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
The cooperation between FISITA and Automotive News that promoted the first Academy of Technical Leadership awards continued with Automotive News Asia Editor Hans Greimel moderating most of the sessions and Automotive News Publisher Jason Stein hosting the Fireside Chat featured in the summary session. Full details about the agenda with links to videos from the events are available on the FISITA World Mobility Summit web page.
All FISITA events include a Student Opportunities Programme (SOP) and this year’s virtual World Mobility Summit hosted dedicated Student Welcome and Q&A sessions. FISITA events are made successful by the active participation of our members and International Connected Community, but we particularly thank this year’s official sponsor, Shandong Linglong Tire, our co-organiser SIA France and our official media partner Automotive News. If you are interested in becoming involved in future FISITA activities and/or knowledge sharing publications, please email FISITA, contact your FISITA membership representative or consider joining FISITA.