Magna establishes new Technology Advisory Council

Led by Swamy Kotagiri, Magna’s chief technology officer, the Advisory Council is tasked with “bring[ing] a wider circle of insight, knowledge and experience from various industries that ultimately helps accelerate the execution of Magna’s technology and business objectives,” Magna said in a statement.

“The pace of innovation in the automotive industry is like nothing we have ever seen before, creating even more challenges and opportunities,” said Kotagiri.  “At Magna, we welcome the challenge and aim to seize the opportunities by continuing to leverage our culture of innovation, while embracing a new level of innovation outreach. We are excited to have such a distinguished group of individuals bringing their vision and insights to our company.”

Advisory Council members will provide high-level strategic planning insights and experience in the areas of advanced driver assistance systems, environmental and automotive safety, overall industry trends, and next-generation technologies.

Chaired by Kotagiri, the Advisory Council is comprised of six members:

• Swamy Kotagiri is globally responsible for managing Magna’s innovation and new product strategy and development.
• Mei-Wei Cheng is a member of the Board of Directors of Seagate Technology PLC and recently served as non-executive Chairman of Pactera. He was the former CEO and President for the Chinese subsidiaries of AT&T, Siemens, Ford Motor Company, and General Electric.
• Tony Fadell is the inventor of the iPod, an inventor of the iPhone, and founder of Nest, the company that pioneered the “Internet of things”.
• Dr. Ian Hunter is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and runs the BioInstrumentation Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Dr. Hunter has filed over 150 patents, produced more than 500 scientific and engineering publications, and has founded and/or co-founded 25 companies.
• John Maddox is the CEO of the American Center for Mobility. He began his career as a Research Engineer at Ford Motor Company and has held positions such as Associate Administrator at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Compliance Officer at Volkswagen North America.
• Paul Mascarenas is a member of the Board of Directors at ON Semiconductor and the United States Steel Corporation. He previously held a number of senior leadership positions at Ford Motor Company, most recently serving as Chief Technical Officer.