Fireside Chats

Jérémie Papin: President, Nissan North America

Jérémie Papin is senior vice president, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and chairperson, Nissan Americas, a role he was appointed to in April 2021. Papin oversees operations and performance for the Nissan and INFINITI brands across all of North and South America. In 2023, he was named to Nissan's executive committee, helping to drive the company's global growth plans. 

Most recently, Papin was vice chairperson for North America, where he oversaw Sales and Marketing; Regional Planning, Administration and Finance; Manufacturing and Purchasing; and Research and Development within the region. Prior to that, he was senior vice president, Administration & Finance, North America, leading the corporate finance and administrative functions.

Before joining Nissan in North America in 2018, Papin was Alliance global director, Finance, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, and vice president, Corporate Strategy & Business Development, Groupe Renault. He has held a variety of leadership roles in finance, corporate planning, corporate strategy and business development for the Alliance and Renault.

Papin also worked for more than a decade as a financial analyst specializing in the European automotive sector at Deutsche Bank, Lehman Brothers and Nomura.

In 2022, Papin was named an Automotive News All-Stars, recognized as the top U.S. executive for a global automaker.

Papin holds a bachelor's degree in economics and political science from Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris and a master's degree in capital markets and corporate finance (French DESS) from the University of Paris Nanterre. He has also completed the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.

Papin is a citizen of both the United States and France, and he is currently based in Franklin, Tennessee.

Paul Jacobson: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, General Motors

Paul Jacobson joined General Motors as executive vice president and chief financial officer in December 2020.

Prior to joining GM, Jacobson served as CFO of Delta Air Lines, Inc., a company he helped transform into one of Fortune magazine's Top 50 Most Admired Companies for six consecutive years. He was named the airline industry’s best CFO eight times by Institutional Investor magazine’s poll of Wall Street analysts and investors.

Jacobson graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in aviation management and later received a Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

He serves on the board of trustees for the Auburn University Foundation, The Harbert College of Business Advisory Council at Auburn and The Owen Graduate School of Management Board of Visitors at Vanderbilt.

Seth Cutler: CEO, IONNA

Cutler brings a wealth of experience in electric mobility and charging to shape the joint venture right from the start. In his role as Senior Vice President of Technical Operations at EV Connect, Cutler drastically expanded the network of charging station manufacturers. Most recently serving as the President and Chief Operations Officer, he started several initiatives to transform the company from a ‘start-up’ to a ‘scale-up’ phase. Before joining EV Connect, Cutler took the lead in engineering, orchestrating the development and implementation of a high-powered charging network as Chief Engineer in the early phase of Electrify America. He started his career at General Electric (GE), where his versatile roles included that of General Manager of EV infrastructure. In this capacity, he focused on the development, manufacturing, and deployment of charging stations, contributing significantly to GE's footprint in the electric mobility sector.

Panel Discussions

Session 1: The EV Transition: New Infrastructure for a New Industry

Michael Berube: Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation & Fuels, Department of Energy

As the deputy assistant secretary for sustainable transportation and fuels, Michael Berube oversees Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE) Vehicle, Bioenergy, and Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies offices, as well as the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. This portfolio focuses on research and development to increase access to domestic, clean transportation fuels and improve the energy efficiency, convenience, and affordability of transporting people and goods to support U.S. energy security, economic productivity, and competitiveness.

He brings more than 25 years of experience in the automotive industry to his EERE post, specifically in the areas of environmental compliance, energy and safety policy, product development, and marketing. He has worked on a broad range of electric vehicle, connected car and advanced powertrain initiatives. Michael also led multiple environmental and energy initiatives within the Chrysler Corporation. 

Michael has a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institure of Technology (MIT). He later returned to MIT as both a graduate student and researcher and received a master's degree in the Technology and Policy Program and a master's degree from the Sloan School of Management. He was recognized for his early work on corporate sustainability and led research for the MIT International Motor Vehicle Program.

Kristin White: Acting Administrator, Federal Highway Administration

Kristin White currently serves, since September 11, 2024, as the Acting Federal Highway Administrator at the USDOT, helping to lead an organization that is dedicated to making transformational investments in improving safety, mobility and innovation for the millions of people who use our nation’s roads, bridges, and highways. Appointed in May 2024 as Deputy Administrator, Kristin brings a passion for serving the American people and a commitment to building a better and brighter future, while advancing the priorities of the Biden-Harris Administration and delivering a world-class system that advances safe, efficient, equitable, and sustainable mobility voices for all while strengthening the Nation’s economy.

Prior to her current role as Deputy Administrator, Kristin joined the Agency in July 2023 as FHWA Chief Counsel, playing a pivotal role in advising FHWA senior leadership and staff in advancing key FHWA programs and initiatives as part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. As FHWA Chief Counsel, she oversaw all aspects of FHWA’s legal work to advise the federal-aid highway program and USDOT leadership on matters relating to the 2,900-person agency and its $71 billion annual budget. In this role, Kristin served as part of the FHWA senior leadership team and led professionals in four offices across the country, providing legal advice and strategic guidance on grant and program administration, federal legislation, regulatory affairs, environmental compliance, and all related litigation.

Prior to joining FHWA, Kristin served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), a nonprofit founded by Congress to advance safety and mobility through transportation technology and innovation. She also previously was the co-founder and Executive Director of Minnesota’s Office of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV-X), one of the nation’s leading tech startups and idea incubators within government that researches and deploys transformational technology and policy.

Kristin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Olaf College, a law degree from Hamline University School of Law and global arbitration certification from Queen Mary University of London. She is originally from the Black Hills of South Dakota and lives in Washington D.C. with her Westie, Teddy.

John Miller: Managing Director, Washington Research Group - ESG and Sustainability Policy, TD Cowen

Moderator

 

John Miller joined TD Cowen Washington Research Group in September 2021 and covers ESG and sustainability policy. TD Cowen Washington Research Group was recently named #1 in the Institutional Investor Washington Strategy category.  The team has been consistently ranked among the top macro policy teams for the past decade. Mr. Miller previously served as a vice president and senior ESG research analyst at Calvert Research and Management, part of Morgan Stanley Investment Management, where he developed and built a quantitative, company-level ESG risk/reward assessment framework targeted towards the global energy and utility sectors. Mr. Miller supported the index development and security selection process for Calvert’s Global Energy Solutions Fund and Global Water Fund. Mr. Miller also worked at the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as branch chief in the Office of Enforcement, Division of Analytics and Surveillance. Earlier, he served as Technical and Policy Advisor to a FERC commissioner and as an energy analyst in FERC’s Office of Enforcement.

 

Mr. Miller holds a B.A. in economic history and political science from The George Washington University, and a Master’s in global history from The London School of Economics and Political Science, where he focused on developmental economics. John also holds the Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting certification, which is granted by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB).

 

Material prepared by the TD Cowen Washington Research Group is intended as commentary on political, economic, or market conditions and is not intended as a research report as defined by applicable regulation.

Andrew Cornelia: CEO, Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging

Andrew Cornelia, a dynamic and visionary leader in the electric vehicle charging industry, currently serves as the President & CEO of Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging. In this capacity, he is spearheading Mercedes-Benz $1 Billion investment into a North American charging network aiming to significantly advance the company’s electrification strategy. Since launching in 2023, Andrew has positioned the network as a preeminent player in the charging industry, securing high-value partnerships with national brands and creating innovative customer benefits. Before his current position, Andrew was the VP and Head of Corporate Strategy & Development at Volta Charging and held influential senior leadership positions at Tesla’s Global Charging business unit. Additionally, Andrew is the Founder and Managing Partner at Arcform, LLC, and holds board advisory roles a Bluedot, eDRV, and Vyntelligence where he continues to steer the future of mobility.

Session 2: The Convergence of AV, Safety, and Technology

Austin Russell: CEO, Luminar Technologies

Austin Russell is an inventor, business leader, and automotive safety pioneer as the Founder and CEO of Luminar Technologies, a leader in automotive LiDAR hardware and software technology. Under Austin’s leadership, Luminar has developed state of the art LiDAR and software technology capable of enabling next-generation safety and autonomous capabilities for global production vehicles. Luminar has amassed over 50 commercial partners, including the majority of the world’s largest automakers. The company went public on the NASDAQ in 2020. Austin has set a 100-year vision for Luminar - to save as many as 100 million lives and 100 trillion hours on the road over the next century.

Austin founded Luminar in 2012 at age 17, after previously working on various photonics and optoelectronics projects, architecting a new kind of LiDAR to enable safe autonomous functionality on cars, trucks, and robotaxis. Now 29, Austin has been recognized by Forbes as the world’s youngest self-made billionaire. Austin was also a recipient of the Thiel Fellowship, one of MIT Tech Review Innovators Under 35, and Forbes 30 under 30 alumni. He is an active philanthropist, recognized in 2022 on the Philanthropy 50 as the 36th largest donor in America.

Aicha Evans: CEO, Zoox

Jim Adler: Founder and General Partner, Toyota Ventures

Jim Adler is the founder and general partner of Toyota Ventures, responsible for setting the strategic direction and leading the firm’s investment activities. In addition to serving on the board of directors for Toyota Ventures, he also serves as an executive advisor at Toyota Research Institute.

 

He is a member of the board of directors for several Toyota Ventures portfolio companies, including AutoBrains, Intuition Robotics, Moodify, Revel, and SLAMcore. He is also a board observer for Brilliant Planet, Burro, Joby Aviation, Near Space Labs, and Nori.

 

He received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering with high honors from the University of Florida, and a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of California, San Diego.

 

Darran Anderson: Director of Strategy and Innovation, Texas Department of Transportation

Darran Anderson is the director of Strategy and Innovation.

His responsibilities include leadership and strategic direction for the innovation and continuous improvement of people and processes of the agency. He oversees the Strategic Planning, and Research and Technology Implementation divisions. He directs business process improvements, strategic research and innovation initiatives across TxDOT. He is also responsible for coordinating TxDOT's strategies and performance analytics. His experience extends across the areas of leadership, strategic planning, operations, portfolio and project management, technology programs, training, tests, experimentation, and modeling and simulation.

Session #3: The Future of EV Investments 

Amy West: Managing Director, Global Head of ESG Solutions, TD Securities

Moderator

 

Amy is a Managing Director and Global Head of TD Securities' ESG Solutions group. She works with corporate and institutional clients across Global Banking and Markets to provide Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) advice and solutions. Prior to joining TD in 2013, Amy worked at other global financial institutions in investment banking and debt capital markets.

Kristin Dziczek, Policy Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Kristin Dziczek is a policy advisor in the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s research, policy, and public engagement division. Her research focuses on the economic impacts of the transition to low-carbon and automated transportation.

 

Dziczek served as the senior vice president of research at the non-profit Center for Automotive Research (CAR) from 2005-2022. Before that, she was the associate director of the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center and worked for the U.S. Congress, International Union UAW, and General Motors Corporation.

 

Session #4: 5G Automotive Innovation and Connectivity  

Steve Bell: Chief Analyst, Informa Tech Automotive Group

Moderator

Steve Bell is an accomplished strategy and technology analyst with Informa Tech Automotive Group. He is focused on the development of the autotech market, ecosystem, and value chain.  His coverage at Wards Intelligence focuses on connectivity-based technology transformation inside and outside the vehicles.  

Previously, he was a Senior Analyst with Heavy Reading and focused on IoT in the mobile network domain specifically the growth of 4G and 5G in two verticals: Industrial IoT and connected and autonomous vehicles. For 2 years he also served as analyst in residence at TU-Auto.com providing insight on the future of this emerging industry.

Steve joined Heavy Reading in 2014 after an extensive executive career in industrial applications and then Telecoms with Motorola in Germany, the U.K., and the U.S. He is also an entrepreneur having founded two companies: one an analysis and advisory firm the other a digital city services platform focused on parking.

Alan Davidson: Assistant Secretary of Communications and information, Division of Commerce Department, NTIA

Alan Davidson leads NTIA, the President’s principal advisor on telecommunications and information policy. As NTIA Administrator, Alan oversees a federal agency with more than 500 employees working to close the digital divide, manage federal spectrum resources, and build a better Internet.

Alan has spent the last 25 years working at the intersection of Internet technology, public policy, and the law. In his roles in government, public interest groups, and companies, Alan has focused on how society makes choices about the technologies we build.

Before joining NTIA, Alan worked at Mozilla Foundation, a global nonprofit that promotes openness, innovation and participation on the Internet. As Mozilla's Vice President of Global Policy, Trust and Security, he led public policy and privacy teams promoting an open Internet and a healthy web. Alan served in the Obama-Biden Administration as the first Director of Digital Economy at the U.S. Department of Commerce. He started Google’s public policy office in Washington, D.C., and as Director of Public Policy, led government relations and policy in North and South America for seven years until 2012.

Alan has been a long-time leader in the Internet nonprofit community, serving as Director of New America’s Open Technology Institute where he worked to promote equitable broadband access and adoption. As Associate Director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, Alan was an advocate for civil liberties and human rights online in some of the earliest Internet policy debates.

He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Yale Law School, and is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.

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