Recognising 3 organisations who are driving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the automotive industry.
Bentley Motors has embedded Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) into the heart of its business strategy, Beyond100+, positioning inclusion as a strategic driver of cultural and commercial transformation. Through its #BelongingAtBentley philosophy, Bentley champions a workplace where all colleagues feel valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.
DEIB is governed at the highest level, with a dedicated Communications and DEIB function reporting directly to the CEO and People & Culture Board Member. A senior-led DEIB Council ensures strategic alignment and accountability across the organisation. Bentley’s approach includes focusing on outreach, recruitment, inclusive culture, succession planning, and development. This includes partnerships with educational institutions, targeted recruitment practices, inclusive leadership training, and career pathways.
A standout achievement has been the expansion of Bentley’s colleague-led networks, with over 750 colleagues participating. These networks are shaping policy, culture, and allyship across the business. The rollout of modular diversity dashboards enables real-time measurement of progress across all forms of diversity, gender, ethnicity, nationality LGBTQ+, mental health, disability, service experience and caring responsibilities.
Bentley has achieved significant milestones, including 20.1% gender-diverse leadership and 4.46% ethnic-diverse leadership by end-2024, with clear pathways to reach 30% overall diversity in management by 2025. Its inclusive leadership programme has cascaded throughout the organisation, while an equity-focused policy framework ensures intersectional support.
Externally, Bentley’s commitment is reflected in its Remembrance and Pride Cars, Unifying Spur, and Belonging Bentayga - rolling symbols of unity and inclusion. These are matched by recognition including 14 consecutive UK Top Employer awards, Newsweek’s Community Disruptor of the Year, and multiple inclusivity accolades.
At Bentley, DEIB is not a programme - it is a philosophy embedded in culture, systems, and brand. The company continues to lead the automotive sector in creating a truly inclusive environment where everyone belongs.
At Martinrea, we believe building an inclusive, just, and equitable automotive industry starts with embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into the core of our strategy, operations, and leadership. Guided by the Golden Rule—treating every person with dignity and respect—our DEI approach is led from the top by our President and CEO, who chairs our DEI Steering Committee and is a founding member of the CEO Coalition for Change. With a structured governance framework, measurable KPIs, and employee-led subcommittees, we’ve built a DEI strategy that is intentional, accountable, and scalable.
Key results include the global expansion of Women at Martinrea (W@M), now present at 58 sites; a $230M+ spend with over 150 certified diverse suppliers; a Board of Directors composed of 33% women and 43% female independent directors; and impactful site-level initiatives supporting refugees, individuals with disabilities, and unhoused individuals. Our DEI investments also support long-term recruitment pipelines through STEM scholarships, ERGs, and inclusive leadership development. We’ve made workplace modifications to remove barriers and launched programs that have directly improved retention, engagement, and representation across roles and geographies.
Through education, innovation, and commitment, Martinrea is creating a measurable and scalable model of inclusive excellence within the automotive industry.
Unified Vision: Building Inclusion at Wheels
Following the merger of three strong competitors, Wheels seized the unique opportunity to build a new and unified Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) program that surpasses automotive industry standards. Throughout 2023 and 2024, due to the passionate commitment of our DE&I Committee, Wheels’ efforts have resulted in significant progress, including:
• Be the Voice Program: A virtual discussion forum fostering open dialogue on diversity topics, held monthly with 24 sessions to date.
• See Me Stories: A company-wide spotlight series amplifying employee voices, shared internally and externally through AFLA’s Fleet Insight publication.
• Diverse Voices Blog: A platform for employees to contribute thought leadership on DEI-related topics, with 26 published pieces.
• Expansion of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): Launched Women in Motion and Celebrating a Neurodiverse You ERGs, with structured charters and a roadmap for future groups.
• Supplier Diversity Initiative: Establishing a diverse supplier panel in 2024 to expand partnerships with underrepresented businesses.
• Inclusive Hiring and Internship Program: A community partnership initiative leading to three permanent full-time hires from underrepresented groups.
• Enhanced Celebration & Awareness Efforts: Company-wide participation in cultural celebrations, including Pride, Juneteenth, and Diwali, as well as sponsorship of the Atlanta Pride Parade.
• Core Team Training & Belonging Focus: Organization-wide training on inclusive language, bias reduction, and fostering a culture of belonging.
Programs initiated in 2023 laid the foundation for a robust and sustainable DEI strategy, ensuring continuous progress into 2025 and beyond.
Rivian’s mission is to keep the world adventurous forever by eliminating tailpipe emissions from two critical vehicle segments: consumer adventure vehicles and commercial delivery fleets.
Rivian’s R1T and R1S are the first all-electric pickup and SUV built for rugged use, while the Electric Delivery Van (EDV), developed with Amazon, is the largest planned commercial EV rollout in history. Rivian designs and manufactures its vehicles in a vertically integrated process, using renewable energy at its Normal, IL plant.
The EDV project with Amazon will cut millions of tons of CO₂ annually, with over 20,000 vans already in service across the US and Europe. Rivian’s vehicles use high-efficiency battery packs, over-the-air updates, and advanced telematics for optimized performance and lifecycle emissions reduction.
Rivian’s “Forever” program invests in reforestation, clean energy, and carbon removal projects to further offset remaining emissions.
Traditional lithium-ion batteries have limitations in energy density, charging speed, safety, and cost, which constrain the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. QuantumScape’s solid-state batteries replace flammable liquid electrolytes with a ceramic separator, enabling lithium-metal anodes and eliminating dendrite risk.
This innovation enables EVs with up to 80% greater range, 15-minute fast charging, and enhanced safety. Higher energy density means smaller, lighter batteries, reducing resource use and embedded emissions.
QuantumScape’s scalable manufacturing process also reduces emissions compared to conventional battery production. The company partners with leading automakers (e.g., Volkswagen) to bring solid-state batteries to market, with pilot production underway.
Lifecycle analysis indicates QuantumScape’s batteries could reduce EV battery carbon footprint by up to 24%, further multiplied by enabling more EV adoption.
Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are essential for electric vehicles, wind turbines, data center hardware, and MRIs, yet less than 1% of rare earths are recycled today. Meanwhile, demand from these growing industries is rapidly outpacing supply. With China controlling the vast majority of the global REE market and mining posing significant environmental and human harm, REE recycling is emerging as a critical path forward.
Cyclic Materials is the only advanced recycling company that simplifies the recovery of REEs and critical materials from end-of-life products. They cater to metal buyers and feedstock companies across several industries, including electric vehicles, providing a circular supply chain that matches the quality and price of traditional mining without the associated environmental impact. Establishing a domestic supply chain for REEs is especially valuable for the automotive industry’s electrification.
REEs are typically harvested via mining, which contributes to well-known environmental and ethical challenges. Cyclic Materials’ innovative process offers an alternative by producing enough materials to reduce pressure on mining sources, while recovering useful components from end-of-life EVs and hybrid motors.
In the automotive space, Cyclic Materials announced a partnership with Lime to recover REEs from decommissioned motors from vehicles in Lime’s U.S. and Canadian markets, helping them meet their 2030 net-zero goals. The agreement marks the first at-scale recycling initiative focused on rare earth magnets in North America in the micromobility sector.
Cyclic Materials recently closed a $55M Series B funding round with Amazon, Microsoft, BMW, InMotion Ventures (the investment arm of Jaguar Land Rover) and other strategic investors. In 2025, Cyclic announced a $20M investment into their first commercial facility in the United States and a $25M investment into their Kingston Centre for Excellence in Ontario, to further support the company’s global expansion.
Recognising 3 organisations who are driving innovation within automotive this can include innovation across Technology, R&D, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Innovative Partnerships
24M is redefining the future of electric mobility with breakthrough battery technologies designed to meet the evolving demands of electrification. Not content with incrementalism and with a focus on making batteries better, 24M continued to radically transform battery technology with significant state-of-the-art innovations, including:
- The first-of-its-kind separator innovation, Impervio™, that can prevent the catastrophic battery fires that have become all too common in today’s news;
- A new battery electrolyte, Eternalyte™, that enables fast charge, breakthrough cold weather performance and makes the 1,000 mile battery achievable;
- 24M’s Electrode-to-Pack (ETOP™) system eliminates unnecessary cell materials, boosting energy density and lowering costs for electric mobility;
- And a revolutionary sustainability innovation, the LiForever™ recycling process, that makes 98% of a battery’s material recyclable without the creation of black mass when used alongside 24M’s LiForever semisolid electrode technology
24M’s progress was recognized in 2025 by Fast Company and TIME across multiple global innovation and greentech rankings. Backed by $87 million in new funding and a $1.3B post-money valuation, 24M also expanded internationally with a new R&D and pilot plant in Thailand and a second U.S. office. With more than 20 OEMs actively evaluating its platform through testing and prototyping, 24M is positioned to scale its transformative technologies globally and lead the next era of sustainable, high-performance EV battery solutions.
Applied Intuition is defining the next chapter of applied AI through vehicle intelligence, marking a foundational shift away from isolated, feature-based automation toward machines that see, hear, think, and act autonomously in the real world. As AI becomes embedded into vehicles, Applied Intuition provides the underlying technology needed to support continuous learning, adaptation, and contextual decision-making at scale.
At its core, vehicle intelligence consists of Vehicle OS, autonomy stacks, and a comprehensive suite of development tools. Vehicle OS is a modular, production-grade software platform supporting the entire development lifecycle. Autonomy stacks integrate perception, planning, and control into a cohesive system that allows vehicles to operate independently in complex domains. Supporting both components is a toolchain that accelerates development and validation through simulation, log-based testing, AI copilots, and more, enabling teams to launch advanced systems up to four times faster.
Unlike limited point solutions, Applied Intuition’s unified, full-stack platform is purpose-built for diverse real-world deployments across multiple industries, including automotive, trucking, construction, agriculture, and defense. Trusted by 18 of the world’s top 20 automakers, the technology is proven to handle complex scenarios, from autonomous trucks navigating busy highways to farming equipment performing tasks autonomously. By smoothly integrating into existing engineering workflows, Applied Intuition’s platform accelerates innovation, shortens development cycles, and leads to safer roadways, reduced transportation delays, and more efficient supply chains. Through its cross-industry leadership, Applied Intuition is not merely enabling intelligent vehicles but is shaping the future for intelligent mobility.
Electrify America’s Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is transforming how electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure is deployed across the U.S. By storing energy during off-peak hours and discharging it during periods of high demand, BESS enables Hyper-Fast EV charging even in areas with limited utility capacity.
To date, Electrify America has over 165 BESS units operational, totaling more than 65,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of storage deployed. This scalable solution is expanding access to charging in hard-to-reach areas and advancing EV adoption. A standout example is the 2022 installation of Electrify America’s first megawatt (MW)-level BESS in Baker, California, which integrates 1.5 MW of energy storage, solar support, and advanced controls technology to power up to 12 Hyper-Fast chargers where utility capacity and grid limitations would have otherwise made it impossible.
BESS minimizes reliance on costly grid upgrades, shortens charger deployment timelines, lowers overall utility costs, and promotes cleaner energy usage. In California, Electrify America’s BESS deployments collectively operate as the largest virtual power plant of their kind. By combining non-proprietary DC fast charging with energy storage, they help integrate EVs with the grid and reduce dependence on expensive, often higher-emission peaking power plants. This innovation is not only helping scale EV charging faster—it’s also enabling a more resilient EV future.
Recognising 3 executives for their excellence, this could be for a specific project, leadership, or results.
A trailblazer in the global automotive industry. In 2025, she became the first woman and the first Chinese executive to be named World Car Person of the Year, a recognition of her extraordinary leadership in transforming BYD into the world’s leading new-energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer 1.
Under Li’s stewardship, BYD reached a historic milestone in 2024: the production of its 10 millionth NEV, a feat unmatched in the industry 1. She has led BYD’s expansion into over 70 countries, including major breakthroughs in Europe, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Her strategy of “localisation over export” has redefined global manufacturing, with new plants in Brazil, Hungary, Thailand, and Mexico, ensuring BYD becomes a truly global—and local—brand 2.
Li’s vision is not just about scale, but about technology and accessibility. She has championed innovations like the DM-i Super Hybrid system and the 23,000 rpm electric motor featured in the SEALION 7, making high-performance EVs and hybrids more accessible to mainstream consumers 1. Her focus on affordability and digital integration—cars that function like “computers on wheels”—has resonated with first-time buyers and tech-savvy consumers alike 2.
Beyond vehicles, Li has positioned BYD as a clean energy ecosystem, integrating solar, battery storage, and electric transport. Her leadership has helped BYD employ over 1 million people globally, including 110,000 in R&D, making it one of the most innovation-driven companies in the sector
Mary Barra, Chair and CEO of General Motors, exemplifies what it means to be a visionary leader in the automotive industry. Over the past decade—and especially in the transformative years of 2024 and 2025—Barra has redefined GM’s trajectory, steering the company through disruption, innovation, and reinvention with boldness and clarity of purpose.
At the heart of Barra’s vision is a commitment to a future defined by “Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions, and Zero Congestion.” Under her leadership, GM has invested $35 billion into electric and autonomous vehicle development, positioning the company as a global leader in sustainable mobility 1. Despite industry-wide headwinds, Barra has remained steadfast in her pursuit of electrification, overseeing the launch of next-generation EVs like the Chevy Blazer EV and Equinox EV, and expanding GM’s clean energy footprint through GM Energy 1.
Barra’s leadership in 2024 was particularly pivotal. Faced with production delays and market skepticism, she led a strategic reset that emphasized execution, transparency, and customer-centricity. Her decision to revive the Chevrolet Bolt as an affordable EV option demonstrated her responsiveness to market realities while staying true to GM’s long-term goals 2.
Beyond technology, Barra has transformed GM’s culture. She has championed inclusion, accountability, and innovation, fostering an environment where employees are empowered to speak up and lead change. Her handling of crises—from the 2014 ignition switch recall to the recent challenges at GM’s autonomous unit, Cruise—has been marked by integrity and decisive action 2.
In 2025, GM is on track to produce 1 million EVs annually, a testament to Barra’s long-term planning and resilience1. Her ability to navigate complexity while inspiring a shared vision of the future makes her not only a leader of today but a trailblazer for the industry’s tomorrow.
Key Achievements:
Strategic Vision: Pioneering GM’s transition to an all-electric future by 2035.
Bold Investments: Committed $35B to EV and AV innovation, even amid market volatility.
Cultural Transformation: Fostered a culture of inclusion, safety, and innovation.
Resilient Leadership: Guided GM through crises with transparency and resolve.
Industry Influence: Set benchmarks that have influenced global automakers and policy.
Randy Parker is the president and CEO of Hyundai and Genesis Motor North America. He is responsible for leading all of Hyundai’s operations and functions in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, plus Genesis in the U.S. and Canada. He also provides oversight for Hyundai’s manufacturing facilities in Alabama and Georgia. He was promoted to this position in January 2025.
Under Parker’s leadership, Hyundai and Genesis have achieved record-breaking growth and impact.
Parker has led Hyundai to become a leading EV seller in the U.S. and helped guide major investments, including Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Georgia. Additional initiatives, such as Hyundai Home and Hyundai's involvement in the IONNA charging network, demonstrate Parker’s commitment to clean mobility through his leadership of the brand.
Parker also champions Hyundai’s social impact. He plays a central role in Hyundai Hope on Wheels®, one of the largest pediatric cancer nonprofits in the U.S., with Hyundai having contributed $277 million in donations. He also supports youth arts education through the Genesis Inspiration Foundation®, which has donated $10 million since 2018.
His leadership reflects Hyundai’s mission of 'Progress for Humanity' and advances equity, innovation, inclusion and sustainability.
Parker has been with Hyundai since 2019. Prior to joining Hyundai, leadership roles at both Nissan and General Motors saw him accumulate more than three decades of automotive industry experience. Parker holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Christian University. He also completed Executive Management Programs at Harvard and Penn State.
Jacqui Barker, the Global OEM Strategy Director at Keyloop, stands out as an inspiring leader whose vision and actions on inclusivity are helping reshape the automotive sector. She spearheaded the launch of KeyShift, Keyloop’s inaugural global Employee Resource Group, and is dedicated to empowering women and allies in automotive and tech. Under her leadership, KeyShift connects women who can offer mentorship, advocacy, awareness and networking support, building a more inclusive culture and aiding women’s career progression.
As the host of Drivetime, Keyloop’s global automotive tech podcast, Jacqui demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity, curating a diverse line-up of expert guests and leading monthly discussions with industry experts – covering topics from AI and EVs to operational trends – to empower and inform her listeners. Jacqui combines strategy, creativity and empathy to drive real change and empower women in the automotive sector.
Ashwini Balasubramanian is the Head of Motorcycle Development Strategy & Operations at Harley Davidson Motor Company. In this role, Ashwini leads all aspects Product development strategy, Process & Tools, Product test operations, Innovation, Advanced development & Product regulatory affairs.
In addition to her full-time role, Ashwini exemplifies visionary leadership as President of the Automotive Women's Alliance Foundation (AWAF -a 501c(3) organization) since Jan 2023 focused on gender diversity in the automotive industry. This organization’s vision is to Contribute to the mobility industry by advocating for the advancement of every woman throughout her career.
Her strategic acumen and decisive leadership have been pivotal in defining AWAF's long-term trajectory while ensuring meticulous execution of short-term objectives thereby steering the organization towards unprecedented success and recognition in the automotive industry. Responsible for overseeing all facets of operations, Ashwini adeptly navigates within the organization's bylaws, while also managing the financial health with a keen eye on profitability and sustainability.
Her role as a liaison to the executive advisory council underscores her influential position within AWAF, amplifying its impact and outreach. Beyond internal governance, Ashwini's influential presence extends to representing AWAF in esteemed industry forums, where her insights and advocacy resonate, shaping critical dialogues and advancing women's leadership in automotive.
Under Ashwini's stewardship, AWAF has not only thrived operationally but has also emerged as a beacon of empowerment and innovation within the automotive sector. Her unwavering dedication and transformative leadership make her a standout candidate for recognition in this category, inspiring countless others to break barriers and drive meaningful change.
METRICS:
Under her leadership, the organization is at an all-time high for membership, corporate partners, media followers and a 33% increase in Revenue and 44% increase in Net income. Under her guidance, the organization has awarded a record high number of scholarships to collegiate women that show an inclination to join the automotive industry ($60K in 2024). AWAF is now focused on expanding their reach in the next two years to ensure they are supporting women in all phases of their careers (entry level, mid-career and experienced) through scholarships, mentoring and coaching.
Karen has architected a fundamental shift in Hyundai Capital America’s (HCA) customer service model, evolving it from a traditional, call center-driven approach into a digitally enabled, proactive, and customer-centric ecosystem rooted in innovation and operational excellence. She spearheaded the development of intelligent self-service tools, including a redesigned website, a new chatbot, and an upgraded IVR system, and established proactive outbound communication channels, such as SMS and email alerts, to keep customers informed about service status and follow-ups in a timely manner. Her approach to service transformation, anchored in a future vision of 360-degree customer visibility, predictive analytics, and intelligent action engines, is being institutionalized as the blueprint for HCA’s customer service delivery. In parallel, she initiated and championed a customer-centric culture initiative to drive organizational transformation by engaging both in-house teams and offshore service partners in embedding a customer-first mindset across the organization.
As a result, the company has achieved:
• A rise in customer satisfaction scores to “above satisfied”
• A 74% reduction in customer complaint volume
• A 25% decrease in call volume over the past four years, despite significant growth in the customer base
A passionate advocate for women’s advancement, Karen serves as Executive Sponsor for Women’s Leadership Development programs that support the career development of Director- and Manager-level talent. She is currently expanding these initiatives to include rising talent at the Senior Associate level. She also sponsors the Women’s Employee Resource Group, which fosters connection, advocacy, and development opportunities for women across the organization.
Since 2022, her efforts have driven:
• a 50% career advancement rate among directors
• a 55% rate among managers
• and increased engagement among women from 80% to 84%
Now collaborating with Hyundai Capital Service’s global headquarters in Korea, she is helping scale these best practices across the broader Hyundai Capital organization, exporting these frameworks to affiliates and extending her influence and impact globally.
Through her mentorship, strategic foresight, and commitment to inclusive leadership, Karen continues to shape a high-performing, empowered workforce.
