Committed to connecting the world

Biographies

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​Jacques Amselem
Head of IoT, Allianz

Jacques Amselem specialized in Automotive Electronics Engineering. He has been designing and integrating safety and security systems for several Tier One and Aftermarket OEM providers in Europe and North America. Jacques joined Allianz Group in 2002, in charge of implementing Telematics programs such as Volvo On Call or BMW Connected Drive for the OEM customers of the Global Assistance division in Paris, formerly Mondial Assistance Group. In 2006, after contributing to Allianz Transformation Programs Jacques was tasked by the Holding Board to develop the Global Telematics competency. He built and ran the dedicated unit providing end-to-end solutions in Trieste (Italy). More than 10 Group entities and close to 500 000 of customers across Europe are using Allianz Telematics. Jacques now heads the newly created Internet of Things department while retaining his Directorship role in Allianz Telematics SpA. He is a regular contributor and member of ITS regulatory and standardization initiatives of the European Commission, CEN and Ertico/ITS Europe since early 2000’s.  He represents Allianz Group in European Working Groups on Connected and Autonomous Vehicles such as C-ITS and GEAR 2030
Bryn Balcombe
Chief Strategy Officer, Roborace
 
Bryn Balcombe is the Chief Strategy Officer for Roborace, a motorsport competition for human and AI drivers, designed to accelerate the research and development of Vehicle Intelligence and human machine interfaces required for transportation of the future. His previous experience comes from Formula One where he architected and patented vehicle to infrastructure communication systems and developed the F1 Group’s first global media network. He has also consulted on technology strategy for organisations including the BBC and McCann Worldgroup and has a BEng in Mechanical Engineering & Vehicle Design.
Jane Doherty
Director of International Policy, Fuel​ Economy and Consumer Protection​​​, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, United States ​​(NHTSA) 

In her role, she oversees the development and implementation of federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) automotive fuel economy and efficiency standards, promotes adoption of U.S. federal motor vehicle safety standards worldwide and international harmonization of vehicle safety standards.  She also administers NHTSA’s theft prevention activities and oversees consumer programs including the Uniform Tire Quality Grading and Rating Standards (UTQGS).  Ms. Doherty brings a wealth of expertise to NHTSA, with over twenty-eight years working in international negotiations and government policy involving trade, food safety and environmental policies.  In her previous position at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ms. Doherty served as the International Coordination Executive in the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).  She supported FSIS’ mission to enhance compliance of domestic and foreign-produced products with safety regulations and guidance. Ms. Doherty also served as the Director of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Affairs at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the Chief Negotiator for the United States at the World Trade Organization on trade policy affecting food safety, animal and plant life and health issues.  Under her leadership, the USTR achieved groundbreaking trade agreements with Canada, the European Union, Japan and South Korea related to USDA organic equivalence arrangements, which eliminated trade barriers for organic producers while maintaining USDA’s quality standards. Prior to that, Jane was the Senior Attorney for Trade in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Special Assistant to the EPA Administrator. 
Ms. Doherty earned a Bachelor of Sciences in International Affairs and a Juris Doctorate from George Washington University.​
​Pi​erre Girard 
Seni​or Security Expert, Thales

Pierre Girard is a Senior Security Expert in the Automotive and mobility services business line at Thales. He co-designs security solutions with customers and partners. He is also technology advisor at corporate level. He was previously Principal investigator for smart cities in the Strategy and Innovation division. Before that, Pierre has managed the security architecture team in Gemalto security labs for more than 10 years. Pierre holds an Habilitation and a PhD in computer security.

 

           
William Gouse (Bill)
Director, Federal Program Development, SAE International, Washington, DC​.​
 
Bill’s experience is in the combination of passenger and freight surface transportation planning, energy, environmental, and safety research, product and process development, and legislative and regulatory policy for Federal, state, local and international entities. He has published articles and made presentations on the subjects of emerging and developing technologies, operations, regulations, and enforcement for vehicles and impacts to the environment, energy efficiency and safety enhancements.  He has several patents for both products and processes (one project displayed in the Smithsonian Institution). He studied mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech and has taken the executive master’s program in transport emissions at the University of Leeds (UK).  He is the Co-Secretary of the United Nations ECE Working Group for Validation Methods of Automated Driving. Or, he started playing with cars and trucks when he was about a year old and has never stopped. Bill has been working on intelligent vehicles, driver assistance and automated driving systems for passenger cars and commercial vehicles for over twenty years. While he was at Freightliner (the largest truck manufacturer in North America), he was the project manager for the world’s first roll stability control system – the precursor to electronic stability control which is present on virtually every late model vehicle in the USA.  He has several patents for both products and processes (one project displayed in the Smithsonian Institution). He studied mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech and has taken the executive master’s program in transport emissions at the University of Leeds (UK).  He is the Co-Secretary of the United Nations ECE Working Group for Validation Methods of Automated Driving.
FrancoisFrançois E. Guichard 
WP.29/GRVA Secretary, UNECE​​​

Francois E. Guichard is the Intelligent Transport Systems and Automated Driving focal point of the United Nations (UNECE) and is supervising the activities on technical regulations related to vehicle automation and vehicle connectivity. Previously, he worked as line manager at Daimler AG, he advocated for the introduction of Advance Emergency Braking Systems (AEBS) in the legislation (a relevant contribution for increasing road safety). Before that, he advised a number of Countries on their strategies to tackle environmental issues after having gained experience as a noise / GHG / pollutants emission testing engineer. He started his career as International Management Associate at Mercedes-Benz, gaining experience in Germany, South Africa and in the United States of America.
​​​Bilel Jamoussi 
Chief of Study Group Department, TSB, ITU

Tunisian born, Dr. Bilel Jamoussi is Chief of the Study Groups Department of ITU Standardization Bureau in Geneva Switzerland. Since 2010, he has been leading the bureau’s standards making activities into a new era characterized by rapid convergence and the need for increased collaboration with vertical sectors and partnership between developed and developing countries. Prior to 2010, Jamoussi worked for a Telecommunication equipment and solutions provider for 15 years in Canada and then in the United States where he held several leadership positions and was granted 22 US patents in diverse areas including packet, optical, wireless, and quality of service. He holds a BSc, MSc and PhD degrees in Computer Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University, USA. He is fluent in Arabic, French, and English and speaks some Spanish and German.​
Alain Kornhauser
Professor, Princeton University, USA

​Alain Kornhauser is Professor of Operations Research & Financial Engineering at Princeton University. He studied Aerospace Engineering at Penn State earning a BS and MS and Princeton, earning a PhD. In 1971 he joined the Aerospace Engineering faculty at U of Minnesota where he applied automation, network analysis and optimal control to the design of Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) Systems. He returned to Princeton in 1972 extending his pivotal work to more conventional forms of transportation. In 1979 he founded ALK Technologies, Inc. to help the private North American Railroad System emerge from bankruptcy by rationalizing its network structure and transitioning to emerging computer technology. ALK created the standard digital map database and computerized routing systems that continue to be relied upon by essentially all railroad and trucking companies in North America. He transitioned this technology to the consumer marketplace where he pioneered the development and market acceptance of GPS navigation systems. After 33.5 years, he sold ALK to Trimble Navigation in December 2012. At Princeton, Prof. Kornhauser is completing his 47th year on the faculty. He serves as Director of the Transportation Program where he continues his basic research in Transportation focused on the real-time operation of large fleets of driverless vehicles and on the development of Deep-Learning Neural Networks that safely drive road vehicles. Heled Princeton’s entries the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge and 2007 Urban Challenge. Today he is particularly focused on the use of aautonomousTaxis to deliver ubiquitous affordable mobility to everyone, especially economically challenged households. He is Faculty Chair of Princeton Autonomous Vehicle Engineering (PAVE), Editor of the Smart Driving Cars Newsletter, Organizer of the Annual Princeton SmartDrivingCars Summits and Board Chair of the Advanced Transit Association (ATRA). In addition to his teaching and research duties he serves as the ORFE’s Department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies. Professor Kornhauser completed 14 ​NYC Marathons.​
 
Latif Ladid 
Founder & President, IPv6 Forum, 3GPP Board Member, Research Fellow at University of Luxembourg ​ 

 
Professor Latif Ladid holds the following positions: Founder & President, IPv6 FORUM, Emeritus Trustee, Internet Society, Board Member IPv6 Ready & Enabled Logos Program and Board Member World Summit Award. Latif is also a Member of 3GPP PCG (Board, since 1999), 3GPP2 PCG. In addition, he is a Member of IEEE 5G Initiative Steering Committee (Future Networks Initiative) and IEEE IoT Steering Committee. Furthermore, he was Vice-Chair, ETSI IPv6 Industry Specification Group and a Member of UN Strategy Council as well as a Member of Future Internet Forum EU Member States (representing Luxembourg) . Finally, he is a Research Fellow at the University of Luxembourg (since 2006) on multiple European Commission Next Generation Technologies Projects.

​​Roger Lanctot 
Director, Automotive Connected Mobility, Strategy Analytics

Roger is Director, Automotive Connected Mobility in the Global Automotive Practice at Strategy Analytics, and is an advisor to the L.A. Auto Show Automobility forum, the International Telecommunications Union, and the World Wide Web Consortium. Roger draws on 25+ years' experience in the technology industry as an analyst, journalist and consultant. Roger is a graduate of Dartmouth College.

Manuel Marsilio
General Manager​, CONEBI​
 
Manuel Marsilio is the General Manager of the Brussels-based Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI). In his role he represents the European Bicycle, Electrically Power Assisted Cycle and Parts & Accessories Industries before the EU, the UN and other international organisations. His work focuses predominantly on industrial, trade and mobility policies that have an impact on the sector he represents, including furthering the vision of Road Safety via Intelligent Transport Systems. Involved in several European Commission’s fora, among which the Single Platform on Cooperative, Connected and Autonomous Mobility, he is also representative of WBIA – World Bicycle Industry Association – in the context of the World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations, the Working Party on Transport Trends & Economics and the Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety – all organised by the United Nations.
Nils Lenke
Senior Director,Innovation Management, Cerence Inc. 

As Senior Director, Innovation Management, Nils is managing a team focused on disruptive innovation at Cerence. His team works especially on multi-modality of the HMI in the car, Cabin Monitoring and Question Answering technologies. Nils also manages technology partnerships and academic co-operations. As a board member he is also representing Cerence as a shareholder at the DFKI, the German AI Research Centre. Before changing into his Automotive role, Nils spent ten years in the Corporate Research department. Nils has been with Philips, ScanSoft, Nuance and Cerence for 24 years. He holds a Master’s degree from the University of Bonn for his thesis on “The communication model of AI research”, as well as a degree in Computer Science from the University of Koblenz and a PhD in Computer Linguistics from the University of Duisburg for his dissertation in AI on Natural Language Generation of Paraphrases. Since this is clearly not enough, he also holds a Master’s degree from the University of Hagen in Environmental Sciences. Nils currently holds 13 patents. In his spare time, Nils likes hiking and scanning archives for documents on the history of Science (especially Astronomy and Alchemy) in the early modern period.
Koji Nakao 
Researcher, Study Group 17, ITU​​​​​​

Koji Nakao received the B.E. degree of Mathematics from Waseda University, in Japan, in 1979. Since joining KDDI in 1979, Koji has been engaged in the research on communication protocol, and information security technology for telecommunications in KDDI laboratory. He has started to additionally research on the area of cybersecurity for NICT (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology) in 2004 and for Yokohama National University in 2015. Since 2000, he has been conducted for several governmental security research projects and involved in International Security Standardization activities. His current interests are IoT security, 5G security and Supply-Chain security and so on. His present positions are "Distinguished Researcher" to manage research activities for cybersecurity technologies in NICT and “Guest Professor” of Yokohama Na​​tional University on IoT security research. Koji has also been an Advisor of Cybersecurity for CABINET SECRETARIAT in Japanese government since April 2017. The followings are the major awards received:Koji received the IPSJ Research Award in 1992, METI Ministry Award and KPMG Security Award in 2006, and Best Paper Award (JWIS) in 2007, the Commendation for Science and Technology award by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Prizes for Science and Technology: Research Category) in 2009, Lifetime Achievement Awards in ASIA-JCIS in 2012, Ministry Award (contributions for cyber security) from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in 2015 and so on. He is a member of IPJS and a fellow of IEICE. 
​​​​Rossen Naydenov
Network and Information Security Expert, ENISA

Rossen is a Network and Information security expert, focusing on cyber security in Critical Sectors, mainly in Finance and Transport. Areas of expertise include Cloud Computing, Big Data and emerging technologies like IoT, Blockchain. He works within the ENISA Secure Infrastructure & Services unit, conducting research on topics like security measures, incident reporting and policy implementation. He has more than 15 years of experience in information security collected from various positions in his career. In the recent years, he has been involved in conducting studies in the automotive studies. The latest report on Smart Cars security from 2019 covers cybersecurity assets, threats and security measures covering level 4 and 5 of autonomy
​​Walter Nissler
Chief of the Vehicle Regulations and Transport Innovations Section of the Transport Division, ​UNECE​​​​              

Walter Nissler is Chief of the Vehicle Regulations and Transport Innovations Section of the Transport Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Before, he worked for six years at the European Commission in the area of road safety and for twenty years in national administration dealing with vehicle testing and type approval. His educational background is mechanical engineering with a University degree in vehicle engineering.​

​​Luca Rocco
Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT) - Department for Transport

Luca Rocco is in charge for automotive international technical regulatory. In his role he takes part to UNECE and EU activity on among the others autonomous and connecting driving, noise pollution, passive safety, Intelligent Transport System, roadworthiness, urban mobility. Previously, he was in charge for road safety, transport policy and union negotiations at Cabinet of Ministry. He started his professional career at Ministry of Transport in the Type Approval sector. As educational background he holds  an engineering degree, a specialization diploma in Transport Economics and Policy, and a degree in administration sciences.

Michael Sena
Consulting AB

Michael is a consultant specializing in connected vehicle service delivery. He writes a newsletter called The Dispatcher that explores the topics of automated and connected vehicles.


Russell_Shields.jpgT. Russell Shields 
RoadDB LLC​​​​​

Russ Shields is former CEO of Navigation Technologies (later NAVTEQ, now HERE), former Chair of Ygomi, and current President and CEO of RoadDB. RoadDB offers a full in-vehicle software solution for road data and localization to be used in automated driving in series production vehicles. Mr. Shields h​as been involved in communications standards bodies for 40 years. He is Chair of the Collaboration on ITS Communication Standards of the ITU. He is also a member of the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Advisory Board; an SAE Fellow; and a recipient of the SAE Delco Electronics ITS Award.  Mr. Shields was inducted into the inaugural class of ITS America’s ITS Hall of Fame in 2008, and was named the inaugural U.S. member of the ITS World Congress Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2019, he was named an inaugural member of the FISITA Academy of Technical Leadership. Mr. Shields has received the University of Chicago Booth School of Business Distinguished Alumni Award in Entrepreneurship.


Johannes Springer
Program Lead 5G Automotive ProgramGroup Technology & Innovation, Deutsche Telekom AG / T-Systems International GmbH

Johannes Springer is responsible for the 5G Automotive Program at Deutsche Telekom in Group Technology and Innovation Headquarter.
Johannes studied Engineering, Mechanical and Production Engineering at Berlin Technical University. After his doctorate in 1992 he was in charge at Aachen University of Technology (RWTH) as head of department in the Institute of Ergonomics and Industrial Engineering. In 1998 he joined Deutsche Telekom Group in various management positions. From 2004 to 2010 he worked as CTO/COO for Toll Collect, the GNSS and mobile networks based electronic tolling operator for trucks in Germany. From 2011 to 2016 he was Vice President Technology and Solution Design within the Strategic Business Unit Connected Car in T-Systems.  Johannes is active in various organizations, e.g. NGMN (Next Generation Mobile Network, Co-Lead in V2X Task Force) and DGON (German Association of Navigation, Advisory Board).  In 5GAA (5G Automotive Association) he works in the Working Groups “Use Cases” and “Business Models”, and since 2018, he is the Director General of the 5GAA. 
Thomas Thurner
Head of Cybersecurity, DEKRA Digital​​

Thomas Thurner is responsible for the Cyber Security Service portfolio at Dekra Digital, located in Stuttgart, Germany. Thomas has a degree in electrical engineering. His area of expertise are embedded systems mainly in the automotive domain. Especially architecture design, methods for system development and test, product and process quality assurance, system safety and data security. Before he joined Dekra Digital, he has worked for a total of more than 30 years at Daimler, Mercedes-Benz Technology, SQS and Allgeier Engineering in various functions from electronics engineer, project manager, consultant, department and division head to CEO position. Since years Thomas acts as a board member of a regional association of the VDE on an honorary basis. He was also board member of the ASQF (a German association for software quality) for 8 years, including 6 years as chairman.
​Jean Todt​​​​​​
UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, President, FIA.

Jean Todt is President of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de L'Automobile) - the governing body for world motor sport and the federation of the world’s motoring organisations. The federation works across two key interlinked areas of activity – Sport and Mobility. In the realm of Mobility, the FIA aims to ensure that safe, affordable and clean systems of transport are available to all. He was elected to the position in October 2009 and re-elected in December 2013. He made road safety a priority of the federation through the FIA Action for Road Safety campaign, launched in 2011 in support of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. The campaign is based on global advocacy for road safety, supporting action on the ground by its 250 member clubs in nearly 150 countries, building institutional and commercial partnerships as well as mobilising the motor sport community to promote road safety.
On 29 April 2015, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Jean Todt as his first ever Special Envoy for Road Safety. Jean Todt is also a Member of the Board of Trustees of the FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society. Jean Todt began his career in 1966 as a world championship rally co-driver, before joining Peugeot as Sporting Director in 1981. In 1993, he joined Ferrari Racing, later taking responsibility for all motor sport activity for the Ferrari-Maserati Group. He was appointed General Manager of Ferrari in 2004 and at the end of 2006 became Chief Executive Officer of the company until 2008. In 2011, Jean Todt was named Grand Croix de la Légion d'Honneur, the highest honour of the French Republic. He is Chairman of the Board of the Suu Foundation, a humanitarian organization dedicated to advancing the health and education of the people of Myanmar founded by Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and a member of the Board of Directors of the International Peace Institute (IPI). He is also one of the Founders and the Vice-President of ICM, an institute devoted to medical research for brain and spinal cord disorders. Jean Todt was born on 25 February 1946 at Pierrefort, Cantal (France). He has one son, Nicolas, and shares his life with actress and film producer Michelle Yeoh, who is Global Road Safety Ambassador.
Markus Tschersich​ 
Regulation and Standardization Activities Manager​, Continental
             
Dr. Markus Tschersich is managing the Regulation and Standardization Activities in the fields of Security & Privacy in the context of Automotive products at Continental. In this role he is member of the German delegations for the ISO/SAE 21434 Cybersecurity Engineering and the ISO 24089 Software Updates Engineering Standards. For the latter one he is chairing the German Mirror Group. In the regulatory environment, he is CLEPA delegate in the UN Task Force on Cybersecurity/OTA issues, member of the Advisory Group at ENISA and he is piloting the CLEPA Taskforce on Cybersecurity. Based on this, he is driving the internal process implementation for these topics at Continental.
He holds a doctoral degree of the Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany. His thesis was about the Impact of Privacy by Default, as required by the GDPR, on social network sites. At his time at the Goethe University he was involved in several EU Research Projects. He was part of the coordinating team for the FP7 project PICOS and ABC4Trust.​​
​​Eduardo Valencia
​​AMETIC,​​ Director of #VEHICLES7YFN Think Tank

Eduardo Valencia has a degree in Political Science from the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, and a M​​aster in Business and Cultural Industries Management from the University of Barcelona. He is the Former Manager of the Spanish Cluster for Home and Building automation & Smart Cities, and Founder of the event consultancy firm for innovation ‘Tech 4 Events’. He is also the Co-author of the book: Smart City, towards smart management.Since 2017, Director of AMETIC office in Barcelona (AMETIC is the association that represents the digital technology industry sector in Spain). Since 2018, he is the Director of the #VEHICLES7YFN Think Tank and of AMETIC’s Commission on Autonomous and Connected Vehicle and Sustainable Mobility. Finally, since 2019, he is the ​Vice-President of DIGITALEUROPE’s Working Group on Autonomous Driving. Member of several standardization committees at UNE – The Spanish standardization body.
Holger G. Weiss
Founder & CEO, German Autolabs

Holger G. Weiss is Managing Director and CEO of German Autolabs. He has over 15 years of experience managing and building technology-driven companies with innovative business models in the Future Mobility sector. He has extensive experience and expertise in the field of connected mobility. He played a vital role in the navigation software startup gate5 in Berlin, from its genesis up to its acquisition by Nokia in 2006. Gate5 was the forerunner for HERE - a map and content provider recently bought by three German car makers at a price of close to three billion Euros. Before founding German Autolabs, Holger G. Weiss was managing director and CEO of Aupeo. Under his leadership, this music streaming startup developed into one of the leading providers of internet-based audio content for the Automotive Industry. In 2013 Aupeo was acquired by Panasonic Automotive Systems of North America. Holger G. Weiss is a board member of various technology companies and also Venture Partner at Target Partners - one of the leading VC companies in Europe. Besides his business activities, he is also an enthusiastic mentor and business angel for young aspiring founders. He consults medium-sized companies as well as tech and industry related associations.
David Wong
Senior Technology and Innovation Manager, SMMT

David Wong is Senior Technology and Innovation Manager at SMMT, the UK’s automotive industry body with more than 800 members including all major vehicle manufacturers, component suppliers, aftermarket businesses, technology and engineering firms, and mobility start-ups. David is SMMT’s lead on connected and automated vehicles, digital and future mobility innovation, and electric and fuel cell vehicles. In addition to automotive companies, David often works with stakeholders from technology, transport, telecoms, energy, legal, insurance, infrastructure and government on policy, strategy and market development issues. He is also SMMT’s interface with the start-up community and leads open innovation initiatives to connect the industry with autotech and mobility start-ups from all over the world. David sits on the UK Automotive Council Technology Group and is a Non-Executive Director of Cenex. He was a member of the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Future Communications Challenge Group, which advised the UK Government on 5G strategy. David previously worked for the Big Innovation Centre, Relationships Foundation and the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute.
Ian Yarnold
Head, International Vehicle Standards Division, Department for Transport, UK​

Ian currently leads the International Vehicle Standards Division within the UK Department for Transport. He is a mechanical engineer with many years’ experience across a varied career - encompassing heavy vehicle operation & maintenance, plus several years in the UK roadside enforcement agency - DVSA. He currently leads the development of policy on safer, cleaner and quieter road vehicles for the UK and oversees his Government’s involvement at the United Nations in Geneva. Ian is a recognised global expert in the development of regulatory standards for road vehicles, and someone who continues to take a prominent role in international fora. He is the European vice Chairman of the UN-ECE Global Harmonisation group; chaired the UN-ECE technical experts group on accident avoidance technologies for many years, and is the co-Chair of the WP29 ITS group. During this time he has overseen the implementation of many safety systems for heavy and light vehicle applications. He led the early UK activity on autonomous vehicles, including the trials programme and publication of the review of regulations “The Pathway to Driverless Cars”. In 2017 he established the UN-ECE task-force developing the technical assessment criteria for the approval of automated vehicles when used in real-driving conditions, and led WP29’s activity to create the new GRVA experts group on vehicle automation.​​