An agenda built through deep collaboration with our community to ensure every session delivers substance over soundbites. You’ll hear from true subject matter leaders via candid case studies, collaborative roundtables, and varied panel discussions —providing clarity on what’s driving success across the automotive landscape.
Peter Tadros, President, Power Solutions North America, Bosch
Moderator: Nora Eckert, Correspondent, Reuters
This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Reuters Trust Principles
Jennifer Thomas, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Government Relations, Honda
Moderator: David Shepardson, Correspondent, Reuters
This interview will be moderated by a Reuters journalist under the Reuters Trust Principles
Building the Fastest Learning System: How Intelligence-Defined Ecosystems Create the Next Automotive Advantage
The automotive industry is navigating unprecedented change, from AI and software-defined vehicles to autonomy, electrification, and new competitive pressures. As these shifts accelerate, the next winners will not be defined solely by who builds the best vehicle. They will be defined by who builds the fastest learning systems.
In this keynote, Yasmine King will explore how intelligence enables organizations to learn, change and continuously improve with greater agility. She will examine how intelligence can improve contextual experiences, reliability, decision-making, and lifecycle value, and why intelligence-defined ecosystems are becoming a source of competitive advantage.
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Yasmine King, Corporate Vice President, Head of Automotive Business Unit, Analog Devices
• Close the speed-to-market gap with next-gen operating models by breaking down silos and adopting faster, software-centric development to compete with Chinese OEMs building vehicles in half the time
• Turn SDV complexity into a competitive advantage by leveraging AI, data, and ecosystem partnerships to deliver differentiated experiences while controlling cost and risk
• Protect profitability in the transition to SDVs by balancing software innovation with affordability pressures, supply chain volatility, and rising development costs
Ramiro Gutierrez, President of North America, ZF Group
Royston Jones, Global Head of Automotive & Transportation, Siemens Digital Industries Software
Keefe Leung, Senior Director, Software and Electrical Engineering, Karma Automotive
Moderator: Melissa Mahtani, Event Chair, Moderate the Panel
Aftermarket is one of the biggest profitability levers in automotive, but capturing it is getting harder. 70% of B2B buyers now prefer to purchase online, expecting speed, transparency, and convenience, but when genuine parts aren't easy to order digitally, buyers go to whoever makes it easiest, including non-genuine alternatives. And the damage goes beyond parts: a frustrating service experience makes customers less likely to buy their next vehicle from you. In this hands-on session, you'll stress-test your own parts buying experience against a real buyer scenario, benchmark against peers, and see how leading manufacturers built digital platforms that empower dealers and grow revenue. You'll walk away with:
• A clear view of where your parts revenue is leaking today, and why you can't see it.
• A practical framework to move from dealer locator to digital commerce, without channel conflict.
• A readiness check for the next shift in B2B buying: AI-driven procurement.
Kamal Kirpalani, Chief Revenue Officer for B2B, Mirakl
Henri Vallet, VP, Aftermarket, Manufacturing and Distribution, Mirakl
Where is AI creating real value in automotive, and what's standing in the way?
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In this interactive workshop, automotive leaders work through that question across three areas: Modernization, Commerce and Supply Chain.
In small peer groups, you'll rotate through expert-facilitated stations. At each one, you'll surface the biggest pain points and challenges your teams face, from data readiness to scaling. Then you'll map them to practical solutions and opportunities. The session closes with a group synthesis of the most important opportunities the room identified.
You'll leave with a peer-validated view of the industry's most pressing AI challenges, the solutions with the most potential and practical questions to bring back to your own strategy.
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Key Topics
• Where AI can deliver the greatest value across modernization, commerce and supply chain
• The pain points and challenges holding AI back, from data foundations to production
• How to connect AI investment to measurable financial outcomes
• What organizational, operational and technical capabilities successful AI requires
• Where peers across OEMs see the biggest opportunities
Nelson Pereira, Automotive Industry Lead, Publicis Sapient
George Fowler, Chief Technology Officer, Publicis Sapient
Duane Day, Vice President of Technology
Shriram Iyengar, Vice President, Growth
When Supply Chains Disrupt: How Can Automotive Leaders Make Faster, Smarter Decisions? - Hosted By Genpact
Automotive supply chains are under constant pressure from supplier instability, production delays, shifting demand, and rising costs. While organizations have invested heavily in visibility tools, knowing there's a problem doesn't necessarily mean they can respond quickly enough to prevent disruption.
So how do you turn supply chain intelligence into better decisions across procurement, manufacturing, logistics and planning?
In this interactive workshop, Genpact will bring automotive leaders together to explore how AI, predictive insights and connected decision-making can help organizations move from identifying disruptions to taking coordinated action.
Through practical scenarios and peer discussion, you'll examine where decision-making breaks down, how to prioritize competing risks, and what it takes to build a more responsive supply chain.
Sumeet Choudhary, Vice President, Supply Chain Growth / Partner, Genpact
Stephen Weisenstein, Vice President, Portfolio Leader and Lead Client Partner, Genpact
• Overcome perceptions that EVs compromise on performance by showcasing instant torque and agile control to expand its appeal to your customer base.
• Expand beyond superior performance and tech forward features to deliver a tranquil driving experience valued by car buyers through advancements in hardware technologies
• Elevate the sought after tranquil driving experience with advanced automation and intuitive smart features
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Chris Lockett, SVP Castrol Technology, Castrol ON
Sebastian Bauer, Executive Director of Human Interface Design, General Motors
Moderator: Melissa Mahtani, Event Chair, Moderate the Panel
Norman Marks, Global Vice President, Automotive Industry, NVIDIA
Moderator: Abhirup Roy, Correspondent, Reuters
This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Reuters Trust Principles
Invite-Only: Engineering the serenity of the electric drive: How Castrol ON fluids enable quieter, more durable and efficient drivertrain
Deep dive into Castrol ON’s new research into what consumers value most in their EVs and how Castrol ON EV Fluids help solve engineering challenges and unlock solutions to what consumers desire most from their electric vehicles.
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With EVs gradually taking mainstream position in the car sales globally, the consumer expectations increase as well. In addition to things, like faster charging speeds and bigger range on a single charge, consumers seek broader emotional benefits as well. OEMs need to offer vehicles that represent technological progress while delivering the reliability and performance in order to stay relevant in the ever more competitive landscape.
Join us for workshop over lunch break to discuss technical challenges and solutions for the EV architecture.
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Chris Lockett, Castrol Technology, Castrol ON
Daniel Knoblauch, Global Customer Relations Technology, Castrol ON
Yulia Emelyanova, Head of Castrol ON EV, Castrol ON
Invite Only: Beyond the SDV: Building the Intelligence-Defined Ecosystem. What Will Define Automotive Winners in the next decade?
The automotive industry has spent the last decade transforming vehicles through software, connectivity, electrification and AI.
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Yet as these technologies become more widely adopted, competitive advantage is shifting from individual innovations to an organization’s ability to sense change, adapt quickly, and create value across a broader ecosystem.
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• In this interactive workshop, senior automotive leaders will:
• Explore the structural shifts reshaping the industry
• Discuss what capabilities will separate winners from followers in the years ahead
• Examine emerging signals, leadership priorities, ecosystem strategies and the decisions companies need to make today to remain competitive in 2030 and beyond
Yasmine King, Corporate Vice President, Head of Automotive Business Unit, Analog Devices
HERE Technologies - AI Agents in the Vehicle: What's Real Today, and What It Means for the Future of the UX
Every automaker is talking about AI agents, but what has actually reached production, and what does it reveal about the future of the in-vehicle experience? Drawing on SBD Automotive's latest research across 43 vehicle brands and hands-on UX consulting work, this session examines where AI agents are delivering value today, where significant gaps remain, and which OEMs are setting the pace. Participants will explore how agents are reshaping navigation, vehicle interaction, personalization, and digital services, while discussing what today's deployments reveal about the future of the in-vehicle experience. Joe Berish, Head of Consulting – Americas, SBD Automotive
James Alford, Manager - Connected Mobility AI and Strategy, SBD AutomotiveÂ
Rising costs are putting pressure on household budgets around the world, and vehicles are no exception. Higher vehicle prices and fuel costs are making affordability an increasing concern for consumers and a growing challenge for the automotive industry. This session explores the affordability pressures affecting consumers across major markets and examines how these trends are influencing the industry. Drawing on perspectives from the US, France and Mexico, the discussion will also consider the growing presence of Chinese automakers and the impact of increased competition on markets around the world.
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Alexandre Parente, Head of Advisory, Jato
Luis Brizuela, Director, Americas, Jato
Software-defined architecture has changed what a car can do and how quickly it evolves after launch. The physical side of the vehicle, the body, the battery enclosure, the thermal system, the e-motor, is still developed on simulation loops measured in weeks. Those loops now set the pace of the program, and the gap between the two clock speeds is where launch timing is won or lost. This session covers how AI closes that gap in production engineering environments. Neural Concept works with some of the largest global OEMs and suppliers, and the pattern across live deployments is consistent; focusing on how an engineering organization turns a single successful use case into a capability it owns: models correlated against solver and physical test data, running inside the existing CAD, CAE and PLM environment, and reused program after program.
Thomas von Tschammer, Managing Director, Neural concept
Discover how advancements in sensing architectures are offering distinct advantages in terms of simplified integration and cost optimization, and enhanced environmental awareness.
• Discover how advancements in sensing architectures are offering distinct advantages in terms of simplified integration and cost optimization, and enhanced environmental awareness.
• Discuss whether to adopt edge AI or centralized compute architectures for real-time data processing.
• Learn about the new opportunities opened by intelligent chassis systems in the autonomous driving sector.
Humam M. Alwan, Global Reactive Problem-Solving Program Management Lead, Stellantis
Abhijit Nikhade, Product and Architecture, Ford
Mark Ng, Director of Automotive Systems, Texas Instruments
Moderator: Carl Anthony, Host & Producer, AutoVision News Radio
In a world of continuous disruption, trusted, connected data delivered in real-time is a must. Detecting risk early and running scenarios quickly to mitigate disruption is needed more than ever. Panellists will explore:
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• How advanced technology and AI enable faster, more trusted decisions at scale
• How to deliver the leading indicators and supply chain narrative that secures investment in infrastructure and manages external shocks
• How to close the visibility gap between procurement intent and what is happening across your supplier network.
Mike Wall, Executive Director of Automotive Analysis, Mobility Global
Neil Marsons, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Lucid Motors
Moderator – Anne Partington, Managing Director & Head of Industry Partnerships, University of Michigan
The automotive industry is entering a new phase of AI/machine learning (ML) and automation. The question for manufacturers serving the automotive, tire, and battery markets is no longer whether to adopt, but how quickly and where to put smart manufacturing to work. The drivers are clear: more complex production environments, persistent warranty issues, rising commodity costs and global competition are leaving less room for late-stage fixes and reactive management. Join this session and understand how the emphasis is shifting toward combining these technology tools to generate measurable gains in throughput, productivity, and process consistency and explore how AI/ML is increasingly how manufacturers are unlocking the full value of their automation investment.
James Glasson – Vice President Global Industry Auto Tire & Advanced Mobility, Rockwell Automation
• Explore how to monetize features-as-a-service, over-the-air updates and personalised in-cabin experiences to generate subscription revenues that sustain OEM profitability long after the initial sale
• Close the smartphone-to-cockpit experience gap with AI-enabled personalization to build brand loyalty that insulates against competitors selling equivalent vehicles at cheaper prices
• Explore how open API standards, in-car payment systems and personalised feature unlocks can transform the vehicle from a one-time transaction into a long-term revenue-generating platform
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Lily Huang, Product Marketing Director, MediaTek
• Solve the fragmented, multi-ECU legacy architecture that forces OEMs to validate dozens of interdependent systems for every single change, slowing development cycles and inflating costs
• Examine how centralised compute platforms and service-oriented architecture are enabling OEMs to compress vehicle development timelines and close the gap on competitors who design vehicles in half the time
• Accelerate the shift to a standardised SDV backbone so OEMs can deploy over-the-air updates, reduce warranty costs, and bring new features to market without requiring a dealer visit
Keefe Leung, Senior Director, Software and Electrical Engineering
Krishna Kommineni, Engineering Group Manager, General Motors
Suhant Ranga, Sr. Director - Systems Integration, Vehicle Software & Electrical Engineering, Scout Motors
Ganesh Thonse, Chief Solutions Officer, Vayavya Labs
Mark Aitken, SVP, Sinclair Broadcast Group/President of ONE Media
Moderator: Allen Levenson, Director, Data & Analytics, AutoMobility Advisors
• Most existing automotive plants will not be rebuilt. The challenge is making them more competitive where they stand. • As cost, labor and supply chain pressures rise, leaders from Toyota Motor North America, Bosch Mobility and Ascentt will share how they are preparing existing plants for AI.
• From making plant data ready for AI to applying it at the Gemba, the shop floor where work happens, the discussion will explore how manufacturers can move beyond pilots to address real operational challenges, improve decisions and empower the people closest to the work.
• Discover what it takes to make AI work in existing factories, and how it can strengthen the decisions people make every shift.
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Nilesh Vyas, CEO, Ascentt
Chris Crotts, General Manager, Toyota North America
Markus Hildenbrand, Senior Vice President and technical plant manager, Bosch Mobility
Moderator Jamie Butters, Co-Host, Autotown
Beyond the CAD File: Cross-Functional AI Workflows That Move Teams from Concept to Approval FasterÂ
"In an era where traditional development cycles are no longer enough, moving beyond the isolated CAD file is critical for speed and innovation.
This interactive workshop explores how leveraging an AI Data Platform (Snowflake) can transform product development by enabling cross-functional, agentic workflows across engineering, purchasing, planning, and design.
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Through peer-to-peer discussion and real-world problem-solving, we will examine how improved data collaboration can dramatically shrink timelines from concept to approval.
Join us for a collaborative session focused on overcoming industry challenges and setting a new standard for development efficiency."
Nandith Nandakumar, Industry Principal - Automotive, Snowflake
Pugal Janakiraman, Industry Principal - Manufacturing, Snowflake
AI is moving off the screen and into the physical world. In vehicles, factories, and across everything that moves, intelligence now has to sense, decide, and act in real time, often in places a best effort connection was never built to serve. This shift, physical AI, is where the next wave of value sits for automakers, and it is also where the gap between a promising pilot and a production reality gets exposed. This closed door roundtable brings a small group of automotive leaders together to work through a practical question: what does it actually take to run physical AI at scale? We will get into how connectivity and compute work together, what edge inference and real time decisioning demand of the network, and the journey from where OEMs sit today to where the market is heading. The conversation is candid and outcome focused, built to surface where to start now rather than to sell a finished answer.
Dave Cohen, Director of IoT, T-Mobile
Matthew Feider, Sr Manager of AI Business Development, T-Mobile
Moe Beydoun, Sr Director of Sales Specialists, T-Mobile
Attendees will have the opportunity to sit down in roundtables for a peer-to-peer session, to share lessons learned and delve deeper into today’s topics, led by moderators at a table of your choice. Each roundtable discusses a theme, and attendees can choose to join the session that best appeals to them.
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Topic 1
The Road Ahead: Aftermarket Disruption, Global Competition & Pricing Pressures
Patrice Maltais - Director, Stakeholder Relations & Quebec Affairs, Global Automakers of Canada
Carl Anthony - Co-Founder, Detroit Deep Media
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Topic 2
Software Defined Vehicles, Autonomous Innovation & the New Revenue Model
Sunil Sharma -Test Engineer, Interoperability, Ford Motor Company
Joseph White - Host, High Speed Rodeo
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Topic 3
The Human Edge: Courage, Resilience & Emotional Intelligence in a Tech-First Industry
Stephanie May - Director, Women Automotive Network
Topic 4
Building the Factory of the Future: Manufacturing Culture, Efficiency & Supply Chain Resilience
Anne Partington - Managing Director and Head of Industry Partnerships, Tauber Institute for Global Operations, University of Michigan
Jan Griffiths - Co-Founder, Auto Leaders Podcast
Topic 5
Spec Sheet or Story? Winning Stakeholders, Enhancing Safety & Attracting Diverse Talent in the Age of AI
Stéphane Lagresle - Host, Automotive Storytelling Podcast
Ian Nethercott — Host, The Auto Hub Show
In an industry moving this fast, your network is part of your resilience. Join Stephanie May (Women Automotive Network) and Heather Ducharme (General Motors), for a candid conversation and a practical, hands-on networking session. Leave with one meaningful new connection, one concrete next step and a 30-day plan.
Heather Ducharme, Director Strategic Customer Integration Global Quality, General MotorsÂ
Stephanie May, Founder, Women Automotive Network
• Transforming market intelligence into competitive advantage through AI systems that synthesize global competitor moves, regional demand shifts, and pricing patterns
• Align strategy to execution quickly by pushing insights directly into planning, sourcing, and commercial workflows reducing decision latency across regions and product lines.
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Abey K. Abraham, Head of North American Consulting, Mobility Global
Nine in ten road users feel safe in their day-to-day travel. Among the engineers, policymakers and operators who run those systems, fewer than half agree. With road traffic injuries claiming up to 1.19 million lives a year, according to the WHO, that gap between perceived and real-world safety matters more than ever as driver-assistance and automated technologies reach more vehicles. Drawing on a survey of 6,157 road users and industry professionals across ten markets that account for 75% of global vehicle production, Pratima Singh, lead researcher at Economist Enterprise, shares new proprietary research developed by Economist Enterprise and supported by Brembo on where trust is outpacing the evidence, why the risk now sits in how people and automated systems interact and what this means for mobility safety. The focus is on why the trust gap is a safety issue in its own right, and what it takes to build well-founded trust in mobility safety.n road users feel safe in their day-to-day travel. Among the engineers, policymakers and operators who run those systems, fewer than half agree. With road traffic injuries claiming up to 1.19 million lives a year, according to the WHO, that gap between perceived and real-world safety matters more than ever as driver-assistance and automated technologies reach more vehicles. Drawing on a survey of 6,157 road users and industry professionals across ten markets that account for 75% of global vehicle production, Pratima Singh, lead researcher at Economist Enterprise, shares new proprietary research developed by Economist Enterprise and supported by Brembo on where trust is outpacing the evidence, why the risk now sits in how people and automated systems interact and what this means for mobility safety. The focus is on why the trust gap is a safety issue in its own right, and what it takes to build well-founded trust in mobility safety.
Research, insights and analysis presented by Pratima Singh, Economist Enterprise. Research and session supported by Brembo.
LIVE POLL: A live poll will take place before the panel with the audience, giving visibility to attendees’ thoughts on the emerging competition in the automotive sector. The panel will then discuss the live results and proceed to a discussion of the topic.
• Defend market share against faster, lower-cost global entrants by understanding where legacy OEMs are structurally disadvantaged on speed, cost, and user experience to win through scale, brand, and engineering heritage
• Balance short-term profitability with long-term portfolio transformation by aligning EV, ICE, and hybrid strategies to shifting demand, affordability pressures, and infrastructure realities without overexposing the business to stranded investments
• Turn geopolitical disruption into a competitive lever by navigating tariffs, localisation pressures, and supply chain fragmentation while using partnerships and regional strategies to control costs and maintain global competitiveness
Marques McCammon, CEO, Karma Automotive
Steven Warrick, Vice President of Product Management, Volkswagen
Ganesh Iyer, CEO, NIO USA Inc
Moderator: Jan Griffiths, Podcast Host, Automotive Leaders Podcast
Doria Holbrook, CEO, Oro Mobility
Moderator: Abhirup Roy, Correspondent, Reuters
This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Trust Principles.
This presentation will explore how OEMs can prioritize features that enhance the drive, solve meaningful in-vehicle needs, and reinforce the brand. Through real-world examples, the session will challenge the industry to look beyond feature count and ask whether each technology creates enough customer value to justify its cost, complexity, and place in the vehicle.
Mel Roberts, Director, North America Infotainment & Feature Planning, Stellantis
Virtual ECUs promise earlier software development, reduced dependence on physical hardware, greater test automation and faster iteration. But moving from a successful demonstration to a vECU that engineering teams can rely on every day is rarely straightforward. Drawing on real-world deployment experience, this session shares practical lessons around model fidelity, hardware and software dependencies, toolchain and CI/CT integration, performance and timing expectations, keeping virtual and physical targets aligned, and building engineering confidence. The focus is on what it takes to move vECUs beyond pilots and make them part of the mainstream SDV development lifecycle.
Ganesh Thonse, Chief Solutions Officer, Vayavya Labs
As vehicles become increasingly software-defined, the volume and frequency of data moving to the vehicle will continue to grow — from software and firmware updates to maps, media, safety information and other data-intensive services. Today, much of this relies on one-to-one cellular connectivity. But is unicast alone the right model when the same data needs to reach thousands or millions of vehicles? This panel explores how broadcast technologies such as ATSC 3.0 can complement cellular networks through efficient one-to-many delivery, where broadcast can create real value for SDVs, and what it will take for hybrid broadcast-unicast architectures to become part of the connected vehicle ecosystem.
Parag Naik, CEO, FreeStream Technologies
Joe Fabiano, CTO, EdgeBeam Wireless
Roger C. Lanctot, CEO and Founder, StrategiaNow Consulting
Moderator: Carl Anthony - Co-Founder, Detroit Deep Media
Peter Tadros, President, Power Solutions North America, Bosch
Moderator: Nora Eckert, Correspondent, Reuters
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This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Reuters Trust Principles
Jennifer Thomas, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Government Relations, Honda
Moderator: David Shepardson, Correspondent, Reuters
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This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Reuters Trust Principles
Building the Fastest Learning System: How Intelligence-Defined Ecosystems Create the Next Automotive Advantage
The automotive industry is navigating unprecedented change, from AI and software-defined vehicles to autonomy, electrification, and new competitive pressures. As these shifts accelerate, the next winners will not be defined solely by who builds the best vehicle. They will be defined by who builds the fastest learning systems.
In this keynote, Yasmine King will explore how intelligence enables organizations to learn, change and continuously improve with greater agility. She will examine how intelligence can improve contextual experiences, reliability, decision-making, and lifecycle value, and why intelligence-defined ecosystems are becoming a source of competitive advantage.
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Yasmine King, Corporate Vice President, Head of Automotive Business Unit, Analog Devices
• Overcome perceptions that EVs compromise on performance by showcasing instant torque and agile control to expand its appeal to your customer base.
• Expand beyond superior performance and tech forward features to deliver a tranquil driving experience valued by car buyers through advancements in hardware technologies
• Elevate the sought after tranquil driving experience with advanced automation and intuitive smart features
Â
Chris Lockett, SVP Castrol Technology, Castrol ON
Sebastian Bauer, Executive Director of Human Interface Design, General Motors
Moderator: Melissa Mahtani, Event Chair, Moderate the Panel
Norman Marks, Global Vice President, Automotive Industry, NVIDIA
Moderator: Abhirup Roy, Correspondent, Reuters
This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Reuters Trust PrinciplesÂ
• Transforming market intelligence into competitive advantage through AI systems that synthesize global competitor moves, regional demand shifts, and pricing patterns
• Align strategy to execution quickly by pushing insights directly into planning, sourcing, and commercial workflows reducing decision latency across regions and product lines.
Â
Abey K. Abraham, Head of North American Consulting, Mobility Global
Nine in ten road users feel safe in their day-to-day travel. Among the engineers, policymakers and operators who run those systems, fewer than half agree. With road traffic injuries claiming up to 1.19 million lives a year, according to the WHO, that gap between perceived and real-world safety matters more than ever as driver-assistance and automated technologies reach more vehicles. Drawing on a survey of 6,157 road users and industry professionals across ten markets that account for 75% of global vehicle production, Pratima Singh, lead researcher at Economist Enterprise, shares new proprietary research developed by Economist Enterprise and supported by Brembo on where trust is outpacing the evidence, why the risk now sits in how people and automated systems interact and what this means for mobility safety. The focus is on why the trust gap is a safety issue in its own right, and what it takes to build well-founded trust in mobility safety.n road users feel safe in their day-to-day travel. Among the engineers, policymakers and operators who run those systems, fewer than half agree. With road traffic injuries claiming up to 1.19 million lives a year, according to the WHO, that gap between perceived and real-world safety matters more than ever as driver-assistance and automated technologies reach more vehicles. Drawing on a survey of 6,157 road users and industry professionals across ten markets that account for 75% of global vehicle production, Pratima Singh, lead researcher at Economist Enterprise, shares new proprietary research developed by Economist Enterprise and supported by Brembo on where trust is outpacing the evidence, why the risk now sits in how people and automated systems interact and what this means for mobility safety. The focus is on why the trust gap is a safety issue in its own right, and what it takes to build well-founded trust in mobility safety.
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Research, insights and analysis presented by Pratima Singh, Economist Enterprise. Research and session supported by Brembo.
LIVE POLL: A live poll will take place before the panel with the audience, giving visibility to attendees’ thoughts on the emerging competition in the automotive sector. The panel will then discuss the live results and proceed to a discussion of the topic.
Â
• Defend market share against faster, lower-cost global entrants by understanding where legacy OEMs are structurally disadvantaged on speed, cost, and user experience to win through scale, brand, and engineering heritage
• Balance short-term profitability with long-term portfolio transformation by aligning EV, ICE, and hybrid strategies to shifting demand, affordability pressures, and infrastructure realities without overexposing the business to stranded investments
• Turn geopolitical disruption into a competitive lever by navigating tariffs, localisation pressures, and supply chain fragmentation while using partnerships and regional strategies to control costs and maintain global competitiveness
Marques McCammon, CEO, Karma Automotive
Steven Warrick, Vice President of Product Management, Volkswagen
Ganesh Iyer, CEO, NIO USA Inc
Moderator: Jan Griffiths, Podcast Host, Automotive Leaders Podcast
Doria Holbrook, CEO, Oro Mobility
Moderator: Abhirup Roy, Correspondent, Reuters
This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Trust Principles.
Discover how advancements in sensing architectures are offering distinct advantages in terms of simplified integration and cost optimization, and enhanced environmental awareness.
• Discover how advancements in sensing architectures are offering distinct advantages in terms of simplified integration and cost optimization, and enhanced environmental awareness.
• Discuss whether to adopt edge AI or centralized compute architectures for real-time data processing.
• Learn about the new opportunities opened by intelligent chassis systems in the autonomous driving sector.
Humam M. Alwan, Global Reactive Problem-Solving Program Management Lead, Stellantis
Abhijit Nikhade, Product and Architecture, Ford
Mark Ng, Director of Automotive Systems, Texas Instruments
Moderator: Carl Anthony, Host & Producer, AutoVision News Radio
• Close the speed-to-market gap with next-gen operating models by breaking down silos and adopting faster, software-centric development to compete with Chinese OEMs building vehicles in half the time
• Turn SDV complexity into a competitive advantage by leveraging AI, data, and ecosystem partnerships to deliver differentiated experiences while controlling cost and risk
• Protect profitability in the transition to SDVs by balancing software innovation with affordability pressures, supply chain volatility, and rising development costs
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Ramiro Gutierrez, President of North America, ZF Group
Royston Jones, Global Head of Automotive & Transportation, Siemens Digital Industries Software
Keefe Leung, Senior Director, Software and Electrical Engineering, Karma Automotive
Moderator: Melissa Mahtani, Event Chair, Moderate the Panel
• Explore how to monetize features-as-a-service, over-the-air updates and personalised in-cabin experiences to generate subscription revenues that sustain OEM profitability long after the initial sale
• Close the smartphone-to-cockpit experience gap with AI-enabled personalization to build brand loyalty that insulates against competitors selling equivalent vehicles at cheaper prices
• Explore how open API standards, in-car payment systems and personalised feature unlocks can transform the vehicle from a one-time transaction into a long-term revenue-generating platform
Lily Huang, Product Marketing Director, MediaTek
• Solve the fragmented, multi-ECU legacy architecture that forces OEMs to validate dozens of interdependent systems for every single change, slowing development cycles and inflating costs
• Examine how centralised compute platforms and service-oriented architecture are enabling OEMs to compress vehicle development timelines and close the gap on competitors who design vehicles in half the time
• Accelerate the shift to a standardised SDV backbone so OEMs can deploy over-the-air updates, reduce warranty costs, and bring new features to market without requiring a dealer visit
Keefe Leung, Senior Director, Software and Electrical Engineering
Krishna Kommineni, Engineering Group Manager, General Motors
Suhant Ranga, Sr. Director - Systems Integration, Vehicle Software & Electrical Engineering, Scout Motors
Ganesh Thonse, Chief Solutions Officer, Vayavya Labs
Mark Aitken, SVP, Sinclair Broadcast Group/President of ONE Media
Moderator: Allen Levenson, Director, Data & Analytics, AutoMobility Advisors
Rising costs are putting pressure on household budgets around the world, and vehicles are no exception. Higher vehicle prices and fuel costs are making affordability an increasing concern for consumers and a growing challenge for the automotive industry. This session explores the affordability pressures affecting consumers across major markets and examines how these trends are influencing the industry. Drawing on perspectives from the US, France and Mexico, the discussion will also consider the growing presence of Chinese automakers and the impact of increased competition on markets around the world.
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Alexandre Parente, Head of Advisory, Jato
Luis Brizuela, Director, Americas, Jato
Software-defined architecture has changed what a car can do and how quickly it evolves after launch. The physical side of the vehicle, the body, the battery enclosure, the thermal system, the e-motor, is still developed on simulation loops measured in weeks. Those loops now set the pace of the program, and the gap between the two clock speeds is where launch timing is won or lost. This session covers how AI closes that gap in production engineering environments. Neural Concept works with some of the largest global OEMs and suppliers, and the pattern across live deployments is consistent; focusing on how an engineering organization turns a single successful use case into a capability it owns: models correlated against solver and physical test data, running inside the existing CAD, CAE and PLM environment, and reused program after program.
Â
Thomas von Tschammer, Managing Director, Neural concept
In a world of continuous disruption, trusted, connected data delivered in real-time is a must. Detecting risk early and running scenarios quickly to mitigate disruption is needed more than ever. Panellists will explore:
• How advanced technology and AI enable faster, more trusted decisions at scale
• How to deliver the leading indicators and supply chain narrative that secures investment in infrastructure and manages external shocks
• How to close the visibility gap between procurement intent and what is happening across your supplier network.
Mike Wall, Executive Director of Automotive Analysis, Mobility Global
Neil Marsons, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Lucid Motors
Moderator – Anne Partington, Managing Director & Head of Industry Partnerships, University of Michigan
The automotive industry is entering a new phase of AI/machine learning (ML) and automation. The question for manufacturers serving the automotive, tire, and battery markets is no longer whether to adopt, but how quickly and where to put smart manufacturing to work. The drivers are clear: more complex production environments, persistent warranty issues, rising commodity costs and global competition are leaving less room for late-stage fixes and reactive management. Join this session and understand how the emphasis is shifting toward combining these technology tools to generate measurable gains in throughput, productivity, and process consistency and explore how AI/ML is increasingly how manufacturers are unlocking the full value of their automation investment.
James Glasson – Vice President Global Industry Auto Tire & Advanced Mobility, Rockwell Automation
• Most existing automotive plants will not be rebuilt. The challenge is making them more competitive where they stand. • As cost, labor and supply chain pressures rise, leaders from Toyota Motor North America, Bosch Mobility and Ascentt will share how they are preparing existing plants for AI.
• From making plant data ready for AI to applying it at the Gemba, the shop floor where work happens, the discussion will explore how manufacturers can move beyond pilots to address real operational challenges, improve decisions and empower the people closest to the work.
• Discover what it takes to make AI work in existing factories, and how it can strengthen the decisions people make every shift.
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Nilesh Vyas, CEO, Ascentt
Chris Crotts, General Manager, Toyota North America
Markus Hildenbrand, Senior Vice President and technical plant manager, Bosch Mobility
Moderator Jamie Butters, Co-Host, Autotown
This presentation will explore how OEMs can prioritize features that enhance the drive, solve meaningful in-vehicle needs, and reinforce the brand. Through real-world examples, the session will challenge the industry to look beyond feature count and ask whether each technology creates enough customer value to justify its cost, complexity, and place in the vehicle.
Mel Roberts, Director, North America Infotainment & Feature Planning, Stellantis
Virtual ECUs promise earlier software development, reduced dependence on physical hardware, greater test automation and faster iteration. But moving from a successful demonstration to a vECU that engineering teams can rely on every day is rarely straightforward. Drawing on real-world deployment experience, this session shares practical lessons around model fidelity, hardware and software dependencies, toolchain and CI/CT integration, performance and timing expectations, keeping virtual and physical targets aligned, and building engineering confidence. The focus is on what it takes to move vECUs beyond pilots and make them part of the mainstream SDV development lifecycle.
Ganesh Thonse, Chief Solutions Officer, Vayavya Labs
As vehicles become increasingly software-defined, the volume and frequency of data moving to the vehicle will continue to grow — from software and firmware updates to maps, media, safety information and other data-intensive services. Today, much of this relies on one-to-one cellular connectivity. But is unicast alone the right model when the same data needs to reach thousands or millions of vehicles? This panel explores how broadcast technologies such as ATSC 3.0 can complement cellular networks through efficient one-to-many delivery, where broadcast can create real value for SDVs, and what it will take for hybrid broadcast-unicast architectures to become part of the connected vehicle ecosystem.
Parag Naik, CEO, FreeStream Technologies
Joe Fabiano, CTO, EdgeBeam Wireless
Roger C. Lanctot, CEO and Founder, StrategiaNow Consulting
Moderator: Carl Anthony - Co-Founder, Detroit Deep Media
Aftermarket is one of the biggest profitability levers in automotive, but capturing it is getting harder. 70% of B2B buyers now prefer to purchase online, expecting speed, transparency, and convenience, but when genuine parts aren't easy to order digitally, buyers go to whoever makes it easiest, including non-genuine alternatives. And the damage goes beyond parts: a frustrating service experience makes customers less likely to buy their next vehicle from you. In this hands-on session, you'll stress-test your own parts buying experience against a real buyer scenario, benchmark against peers, and see how leading manufacturers built digital platforms that empower dealers and grow revenue. You'll walk away with:
• A clear view of where your parts revenue is leaking today, and why you can't see it.
• A practical framework to move from dealer locator to digital commerce, without channel conflict.
• A readiness check for the next shift in B2B buying: AI-driven procurement.
Kamal Kirpalani, Chief Revenue Officer for B2B, Mirakl
Henri Vallet, VP, Aftermarket, Manufacturing and Distribution, Mirakl
When Supply Chains Disrupt: How Can Automotive Leaders Make Faster, Smarter Decisions? - Hosted By Genpact
Automotive supply chains are under constant pressure from supplier instability, production delays, shifting demand, and rising costs. While organizations have invested heavily in visibility tools, knowing there's a problem doesn't necessarily mean they can respond quickly enough to prevent disruption.
So how do you turn supply chain intelligence into better decisions across procurement, manufacturing, logistics and planning?
In this interactive workshop, Genpact will bring automotive leaders together to explore how AI, predictive insights and connected decision-making can help organizations move from identifying disruptions to taking coordinated action.
Through practical scenarios and peer discussion, you'll examine where decision-making breaks down, how to prioritize competing risks, and what it takes to build a more responsive supply chain.
Sumeet Choudhary - Vice President, Supply Chain Growth / Partner, Genpact
Stephen Weisenstein - Vice President, Portfolio Leader and Lead Client Partner, Genpact
Invite-Only: Engineering the serenity of the electric drive: How Castrol ON fluids enable quieter, more durable and efficient drivertrain.
Deep dive into Castrol ON’s new research into what consumers value most in their EVs and how Castrol ON EV Fluids help solve engineering challenges and unlock solutions to what consumers desire most from their electric vehicles.
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With EVs gradually taking mainstream position in the car sales globally, the consumer expectations increase as well. In addition to things, like faster charging speeds and bigger range on a single charge, consumers seek broader emotional benefits as well. OEMs need to offer vehicles that represent technological progress while delivering the reliability and performance in order to stay relevant in the ever more competitive landscape.
Join us for workshop over lunch break to discuss technical challenges and solutions for the EV architecture.
Chris Lockett, Castrol Technology, Castrol ON
Daniel Knoblauch, Global Customer Relations Technology, Castrol ON
Yulia Emelyanova, Head of Castrol ON EV, Castrol ON
Invite Only: Beyond the SDV: Building the Intelligence-Defined Ecosystem. What Will Define Automotive Winners in the next decade?
The automotive industry has spent the last decade transforming vehicles through software, connectivity, electrification and AI.
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Yet as these technologies become more widely adopted, competitive advantage is shifting from individual innovations to an organization’s ability to sense change, adapt quickly, and create value across a broader ecosystem.
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• In this interactive workshop, senior automotive leaders will:
• Explore the structural shifts reshaping the industry
• Discuss what capabilities will separate winners from followers in the years ahead
• Examine emerging signals, leadership priorities, ecosystem strategies and the decisions companies need to make today to remain competitive in 2030 and beyond
Yasmine King, Corporate Vice President, Head of Automotive Business Unit, Analog Devices
HERE Technologies - AI Agents in the Vehicle: What's Real Today, and What It Means for the Future of the UX
Every automaker is talking about AI agents, but what has actually reached production, and what does it reveal about the future of the in-vehicle experience? Drawing on SBD Automotive's latest research across 43 vehicle brands and hands-on UX consulting work, this session examines where AI agents are delivering value today, where significant gaps remain, and which OEMs are setting the pace. Participants will explore how agents are reshaping navigation, vehicle interaction, personalization, and digital services, while discussing what today's deployments reveal about the future of the in-vehicle experience. Joe Berish, Head of Consulting – Americas, SBD Automotive
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James Alford, Manager - Connected Mobility AI and Strategy, SBD AutomotiveÂ
Beyond the CAD File: Cross-Functional AI Workflows That Move Teams from Concept to Approval FasterÂ
"In an era where traditional development cycles are no longer enough, moving beyond the isolated CAD file is critical for speed and innovation.
This interactive workshop explores how leveraging an AI Data Platform (Snowflake) can transform product development by enabling cross-functional, agentic workflows across engineering, purchasing, planning, and design.
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Through peer-to-peer discussion and real-world problem-solving, we will examine how improved data collaboration can dramatically shrink timelines from concept to approval.
Join us for a collaborative session focused on overcoming industry challenges and setting a new standard for development efficiency."
Nandith Nandakumar, Industry Principal - Automotive, Snowflake
Pugal Janakiraman, Industry Principal - Manufacturing, Snowflake
AI is moving off the screen and into the physical world. In vehicles, factories, and across everything that moves, intelligence now has to sense, decide, and act in real time, often in places a best effort connection was never built to serve. This shift, physical AI, is where the next wave of value sits for automakers, and it is also where the gap between a promising pilot and a production reality gets exposed. This closed door roundtable brings a small group of automotive leaders together to work through a practical question: what does it actually take to run physical AI at scale? We will get into how connectivity and compute work together, what edge inference and real time decisioning demand of the network, and the journey from where OEMs sit today to where the market is heading. The conversation is candid and outcome focused, built to surface where to start now rather than to sell a finished answer.
Dave Cohen, Director of IoT, T-Mobile
Matthew Feider, Sr Manager of AI Business Development, T-Mobile
Moe Beydoun, Sr Director of Sales Specialists, T-Mobile
Attendees will have the opportunity to sit down in roundtables for a peer-to-peer session, to share lessons learned and delve deeper into today’s topics, led by moderators at a table of your choice. Each roundtable discusses a theme, and attendees can choose to join the session that best appeals to them.
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Topic 1
The Road Ahead: Aftermarket Disruption, Global Competition & Pricing Pressures
Patrice Maltais - Director, Stakeholder Relations & Quebec Affairs, Global Automakers of Canada
Carl Anthony - Co-Founder, Detroit Deep Media
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Topic 2
Software Defined Vehicles, Autonomous Innovation & the New Revenue Model
Sunil Sharma -Test Engineer, Interoperability, Ford Motor Company
Joseph White - Host, High Speed Rodeo
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Topic 3
The Human Edge: Courage, Resilience & Emotional Intelligence in a Tech-First Industry
Stephanie May - Director, Women Automotive Network
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Topic 4
Building the Factory of the Future: Manufacturing Culture, Efficiency & Supply Chain Resilience
Anne Partington - Managing Director and Head of Industry Partnerships, Tauber Institute for Global Operations, University of Michigan
Jan Griffiths - Co-Founder, Auto Leaders Podcast
Topic 5
Spec Sheet or Story? Winning Stakeholders, Enhancing Safety & Attracting Diverse Talent in the Age of AI
Stéphane Lagresle - Host, Automotive Storytelling Podcast
Ian Nethercott — Host, The Auto Hub Show
In an industry moving this fast, your network is part of your resilience. Join Stephanie May (Women Automotive Network) and Heather Ducharme (General Motors), for a candid conversation and a practical, hands-on networking session. Leave with one meaningful new connection, one concrete next step and a 30-day plan.
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Heather Ducharme, Director Strategic Customer Integration Global Quality, General Motors
Stephanie May, Founder, Women Automotive Network
