ANE’s 2018 Rising Stars at forefront of industry change

Seventeen young and talented automotive executives have been named as Rising Stars in the automotive industry by Automotive News Europe. The eighth annual Rising Stars awards recognize fast-climbing leaders who are already taking big steps forward in the industry. From automakers to suppliers, manufacturing to connected cars, engineering to sales, each Rising Star has spearheaded change and made progress up the career ladder.

A number of this year's winners stood out because they are at the forefront of the automotive industry's rapid shift toward connected vehicles that rely on electricity for all or some of their propulsion and are capable of driving themselves all or part of the time.

Luigi Ksawery Luca was recently promoted by Toyota Europe to be its mobility and connected car director. He told Automotive News Europe the job has been a real eye-opener. "I feel like I have entered a new dimension of this business where disruption rules," he said. "What I know so far is that we need to identify a winning business model and incorporate it."

Faurecia's David Oliveira also has taken on a new job. He is now the French supplier's deputy vice president of advanced sales and marketing. "My new challenges include playing an active part in the transformation of the company," he told ANE. "I have to anticipate new mobility trends by creating value for our customers and enhancing end-user experiences. I must also push for agility and innovation to achieve a faster time to market."

Gareth Dunsmore has been at the leading edge of the move toward battery-driven transportation as Nissan Europe's electric vehicle and zero emissions strategy director. His toughest task is managing customer expectations around electric vehicles. "Many people are buying an electric car for the first time. Consumers have to get used to them," he said. "It is my daily challenge to encourage mainstream consumers to take that first step. It is all about explaining the differences in a simple way."

Gorazd Gotovac has had a somewhat similar challenge as chief technology officer at Elaphe Propulsion Technologies, a small Slovenia-based company working on in-wheel electric powertrain systems. He said that he learned quickly that potential customers needed more than graphs and theories. "We needed to make a car with our technology so that people could experience it for themselves. This helped steer our internal development projects," he said.

Orit Shifman told us that when she founded her company, OSR Enterprises, in 2011 the automotive world was very different. "It was all about cars, from the design, to the brand image to the horsepower," she said. "However, I was convinced the industry was about to transform."

She said her biggest challenge today is "changing the mindset" of the automakers. "We aim to show them that today's car architecture isn't designed to deal with the risks and requirements of tomorrow," she added.

Shifman is also the only Rising Star who has never owned a car and had no plans to get one. "I think driving is a total waste of my time. However, I am all for smart and secure mobility, but this doesn't have to be exclusively linked to car ownership," she said.

Another Rising Star who is in position to shake up the industry is Cristiano Musi, who is CEO of Landi Renzo, which specializes in gas-powered mobility. He told us his biggest challenge is trying to get people to consider gas-powered cars, vans and trucks as a complementary option to EVs. "Gas-powered mobility can bridge the ongoing transition to zero-emissions mobility while providing an immediate reduction in CO2 and particulates," he said, referring to natural gas, renewable natural gas and hydrogen fuel cells.

The 2018 Rising Stars were honored during a gala ceremony in Turin, Italy, on June 5.

You can reach Douglas A. Bolduc at dbolduc@crain.com.