Speaker Profiles

Prof. Frank (Fuquan) Zhao is a Professor and Director of Automotive Strategy Research Institute at Tsinghua University, China (since May 2013) where he leads a group of strategic research on automotive industry policy, corporate management and technology strategies.

Prof. Zhao got a doctorate degree in Engineering from Hiroshima University in Japan in 1992 and has years of on-the-job experience in Japan, United Kingdom, United States, and China. Prior to joining Tsinghua University, Prof. Zhao had the experience of Vice President of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, President of Zhejiang Geely Automotive R&D Center, President of Zhejiang Automotive Engineering Institute, and Chairman of DSI company of Australia since November 2006; Vice President of Shenyang Brilliance JinBei Automobile Company Limited and General Manager of its R&D Centre since 2004; and Engineering Specialist and Research Executive of Technical Affairs at DaimlerChrysler since 1997.

Dr. Jun Li is graduated with a PhD specialising in internal combustion engine from the Jilin University of Technology in 1989. In March 2018, He joined Tsinghua University as a professor and PhD student tutor at the Department of Automotive Engineering. He joined the Changchun Automobile Research Institute of China FAW Group Corporation shortly after his graduation. Since 2000, he has held positions as the Vice Chief Engineer of China FAW R&D Center, President of FAW R&D Center, Vice Chief Engineer of China FAW, Chief Engineer of China FAW. 

Dr. Li lead a number of R&D projects covering a wide range of subjects such as powertrain architecture, motor coupling, engine and transmission,  hybrid cars, and connected vehicles. He also accomplished predevelopment for a prototype vehicle of RedFlag level 3 and Smart Vehicle for Smart City (SVSC).     

Dr. Li was FISITA President during 2012-2014, elected Academic of Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) in 2013, and in December 2017, he was elected Chairman of Society of Automotive Engineers of China (China-SAE). He was awarded the first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award and the second prize of State Technological Invention Award. Dr. Li holds nine patents, has published 98 papers and one book.

Dr.-Ing. Cagri Cevik is Vice President at FEV China since April 2016 and responsible for engineering business development, sales and marketing. He has been working for FEV since 13 years at different positions: (1) R&D engineer with specialization on powertrain dynamics CAE, (2) project manager with focus on powertrain development and (3) director business development for the Asian market. During his time as project manager, he headed projects with customers from Japan and China and supported clients to bring new powertrains into SOP. Currently, he is located in Beijing and supporting Chinese clients to bring new vehicles successfully into market.

He got his PhD from Prof. Pischinger at RWTH Aachen University in 2011 with his thesis on fatigue behaviour of crankshafts. He holds several publications and patents in powertrain dynamic behaviour.

Roger Lanctot has 25+ years of experience as a journalist, analyst and consultant advising electronics companies, car companies, wireless carriers, Tier 1s and developers on product and market development and strategy.  He is currently Director, Automotive Connected Mobility, in the Global Automotive Practice at Strategy Analytics.  He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and a frequent blogger and keynote speaker.  Roger is a member of the TU-Automotive Hall of Fame and was selected as 2017 Tech Cars Best Analyst or Connected Car Celebrity.

Kirk T. Steudle, Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) since 2006, oversees MDOT’s over $4.7 billion dollar budget and is responsible for the construction, maintenance, and operation of nearly 10,000 miles of state highways and more than 4,000 state highway bridges at a department with 2,700 employees. He also oversees the administration of a variety of multi-modal transportation programs and projects. 

Steudle is a national leader in the development of Connected and Automated Vehicle Technologies and was the 2014-2015 Chair for the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) Board of Directors. He also is a member of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program Advisory Committee to the US Department of Transportation. Steudle is a Past President of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and Chairs the Standing Committee on Highways. He was a 2014 member of the National Research Council for the National Academy of Science and the 2014 Chair of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Executive Committee. He also chaired the second Strategic Highway Research Program Oversight Committee (SHRP 2) for TRB. As well as a member of numerous NCHRP panels and committees on asset and performance management. 

Mr. Steudle is a graduate of Lawrence Technological University, where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Engineering, serves on the College of Engineering Advisory Board and he was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2012.

Takashi Imai is President of Toyota InfoTechnology Center Co., Ltd. In addition to his role as President, he is President and CEO of Toyota InfoTechnology Center, U.S.A., Inc.

Since the beginning of his career with Toyota Motor Corporation in 1992, Mr. Imai has gained extensive experiences both in Japan and America. Prior to becoming President of Toyota InfoTechnology Center, he was responsible for reorganizing the Connected Function of Toyota Motor North America, Inc. as Executive Advisor. He has also held various technical and management positions, including strategic planning Manager for on-board electronic control unit; Manager of in-house development for HV’s brake system; Lead Engineer of electromagnetic compatibility for the first-generation Prius; and Engineer of development of on-board systems (e.g., in-vehicle infotainment systems).

Mr. Imai holds a Bachelor of Science in Electromagnetic Engineering from Tohoku University.

Dr.-Ing. Rainer Kallenbach has been President of Bosch’s new Connected Mobility Solutions division since January 1, 2018. In his more than 30 years with the Bosch Group, he has shaped the development of complex and highly connected embedded systems in the automotive sector. From 2000 to 2002, he was co-founder and co-director of what is now Bosch Engineering GmbH. From 2003 to 2011, he was on the executive management board of the Bosch Automotive Electronics division. From 2011 to 2013, he served as Executive Vice President of the global Bosch IT organization, with responsibility for the technology and security of data processing. From 2014 to 2017, he was CEO of Bosch Software Innovations GmbH, the IoT system and software house of the Bosch Group.

He studied technical cybernetics at the University of Stuttgart and completed his doctoral thesis on modelling and simulation of mechanical and mechatronic systems.

Mr. Lu Xiaofeng is the general manager of Huawei’s LTE-V2X product line. He has more than 20 years of experience in the telecommunications field and has worked in various technical and management positions in R&D, marketing and sales. He has worked in various regions including Europe, Middle East and Africa for 11 years.

He is currently responsible for the planning, design, development, marketing, industry and eco-system cooperation teams of C-V2X solutions, and is committed to providing industry-leading vehicle-road coordination solutions and services for autonomous driving and smart transportation.

Dr. Henry Liu is DiDi’s Vice President and Chief Scientist on Smart Transportation, in charge of DiDi’s Urban Transportation Business Unit. He is also a tenured Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Dr. Liu received his Ph.D. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 2000 and his Bachelor degree in Automotive Engineering from Tsinghua University (China) in 1993. Dr. Liu’s research interests focus on transportation network monitoring, modeling, and control, as well as mobility and safety applications with connected and automated vehicles. On these topics, he has published more than 90 refereed journal articles. Dr. Liu is the managing editor of Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems, and an associate editor of Transportation Research Part C, Network and Spatial Economics, and Transportmetrica Part B. 

After studying industrial engineering Oliver Bahns started his career in 1995 as a senior researcher at Fraunhofer Society. In 1998, he joined Debis Systemhaus, the former IT branch of Daimler, to build up an automotive consulting practice. Until 2008, Bahns headed the consulting and business development department of Industry Line Automotive at T-Systems, the corporate customer branch of Deutsche Telekom.

Between 2008 and 2014, Oliver Bahns was Global Director Automotive and Aerospace at Hewlett Packard, with worldwide responsibility for industry strategy and business development. In 2014, he took responsibility for the automotive enterprise service business in Central Europe.

Since January 2016, Oliver Bahns lead Connected Mobility within T-Systems, which bundles all company-wide activities around the topics of the connected car, transport and logistics, and intermodal mobility.

Bahns spent several years of his career in South Korea, Indonesia, China and the USA. Today, he and his family live near Stuttgart.

Dr. Li is the Professor of Automotive Engineering at Tsinghua University. His main research areas include automotive control systems, driver assistance system, and network/networked dynamics and control. Currently, he is leading the national key project on ICV (Intelligent and Connected Vehicles) in China. Dr. Li has authored about 200 journal/conference papers and is a co-inventor of over 80 patents in China and Japan.

He has served as fellow member of Society of Automotive Engineers of China, editorial boards of International J of Vehicle Autonomous Systems, and Chairperson of Technical Committee of CAICV (China Industrial Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance for ICV). Dr. Li has been a recipient of 'Changjiang Scholar Program Professor' and National Award for Technological Invention in China.

Dr. Li received his BS degree in Automotive Engineering from Tsinghua University in 1985, and his MS degree and PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering from Chongqing University, in 1988 and 1995 respectively.

Dr. Mike (Fangwu) Ma is a professor in the College of Automotive Engineering, Jilin University.

Dr. Ma gained his PhD study in Mechanical Engineering in Imperial College London, UK, in 1995 and has over 30 years’ experience with various enterprises and universities in Europe, North America and China.

Joining Chrysler LLC in 2001, Dr. Ma worked as a product engineer with responsibility for the development of vehicle NVH and durability. As VP and Sr. Chief Engineer in Geely and Volvo Tech Center between 2008 and 2014, Mike led a highly talented team of professionals to drive the newest technologies of vehicle design and ensure proper executions at the R&D and program management levels. Since 2014, he founded and has been serving as the Executive President in Qingdao Automotive Research Institute of Jilin University, which involves productive collaborations among universities and enterprises. Appointed as Co-founder and Executive Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Ma has made tremendous efforts in establishing the international journal of Automotive Innovation.

Chris joined FISITA as Chief Executive Officer in August 2014, continuing a successful career and now bringing over 30 years’ experience working in the automotive industry.

As CEO, Chris has overseen the extensive modernisation of FISITA, transforming the organisation into a leading platform for global knowledge exchange and facilitating co-operation and support amongst FISITA’s membership and the wider automotive and mobility systems industry. In addition to refreshing the FISITA brand and membership structure and offering, Chris has introduced a number of innovations including the one-day conference FISITA PLUS, a regular series of Technical Webinars and the FISITA International Engineering Community. Chris has also successfully established the FISITA Foundation charity with a number of initial high-profile donors, created to provide financial support for the next generation of automotive and mobility systems engineers.

Prior to joining FISITA, Chris spent 14 years working within Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the UK’s premier automotive trade association, was a member of the senior management team and Managing Director of subsidiary, Motor Codes. During this time Chris became recognised as an expert within the UK automotive industry and received recognition and awards from the industry for his work throughout the years.

Chris is a Fellow of the Institute of the Motor Industry and regularly contributes to international discussions and thought leadership pieces on the continued transition of the automotive and mobility industry.