When you think of fast cars, two names that first come to mind are Ford and Fisker. Whether it’s the legendary Ford GT or the Galpin-Fisker Mustang Rocket, Henry Ford and Henrik Fisker gave the world many of its most iconic automobiles.
On Nov. 6 in Detroit, you’ll have the rare opportunity to hear from two executives who are still shaking things up in the automotive world: May Russell of Ford Motor Company and Henrik Fisker, chairman and CEO of Fisker Inc.
The TrustBelt Corporates & Consultants Forum announced this week that Russell and Fisker have joined Session IV: The Future of Automotive, which will be held from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m., as speakers. The annual conference will take place at The Crowne Plaza Detroit Downtown Riverfront hotel, Nov. 5-7.
Russell is the Global Head of Mobile App and Wearables Development at Ford. In this role, she leads a global organization including four software engineering labs in the US, UK, China and India producing cutting-edge, consumer-facing digital products and services.
Russell began her career with Ernst & Young after graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in computer science. As a senior consultant with EY, she led IT transformation programs in many industries including utilities and automotive.
Russell joined Ford in 2002 and has been a leader in IT software delivery and strategy in a variety of business functions including consumer-facing technologies, supply chain, marketing and sales, manufacturing, human resources and global corporate systems.
She also serves as the K-8 Chief Mission Officer for the Michigan Council for Women in Technology, as well as serving on the advisory board of the IT Women in Leadership.
Fisker is a Danish-born American automotive designer and entrepreneur who is perhaps best known for designing such iconic vehicles as the BMW Z8, Aston Martin DB9, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Fisker Karma, Galpin-Fisker Mustang Rocket, and the all-electric luxury sedan, the Fisker EMotion.
Fisker, who is chairman and CEO of Fisker Inc., has been making a lot of news lately. Just last week, he announced that his firm would move forward soon with solid-state battery production and that he had forged a partnership with a major OEM. He also said his company would soon debut a fully autonomous electric-vehicle shuttle on a tech campus in the US.
His Fisker Karma was the world’s first premium plug-in hybrid car and won a bevy of major awards, including the Silver Edison and Automobile magazine’s Design of the Year. Goliath.com named Fisker one of the 10 greatest car designers in automotive history.
