DENSO's Chris Bartholomew Named an SAE Fellow by SAE International ®

Bartholomew only the third DENSO team member to earn the prestigious distinction, honored for engineering leadership and contributions to industry standards development

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., May 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- DENSO, a leading mobility supplier, announced today that Chris Bartholomew, the North America standardization lead at DENSO, has been named an SAE Fellow by SAE International ^®, the leader in connecting and educating mobility engineers.

Since 1975, the SAE Fellows Committee has awarded SAE Fellow Membership to an elite group of professionals in the automotive, commercial vehicle, and aerospace industries who have made a significant impact on mobility through leadership, research, publishing, innovation, and volunteering. It is an exceptional professional distinction given to a class of approximately 20 SAE Members annually.

Bartholomew and other honorees were formally recognized during an April 7 Fellows Dinner in Detroit, the night before the start of SAE WCX 2025.

Only two other DENSO employees have previously earned the coveted SAE Fellowship: Taro Tanaka, chairman of the board at DENSO Corporation (then Nippondenso co. Ltd.), in 1994; and Norio Omori, an executive vice president of DENSO Corporation, in 2002.

Bartholemew achieved SAE Fellowship for several reasons, including his contributions to technical excellence, mentorship, SAE standards development and industry research, particularly related to automated vehicle standards.

"I am so appreciative of SAE International for the recognition and would like to congratulate the other fellows for earning this tremendous honor," said Bartholomew. "While achieving fellowship is very meaningful to me personally, these distinctions are bigger than any one person. SAE Fellowship represents all the good we can do when our industry works together to create and strengthen standards that promote greener, safer mobility."   

Bartholomew first joined DENSO in 1999 as a compressor engineer. After 19 years in DENSO's Thermal Group, he had the opportunity to transition to the Technology Planning Department and focus on standardization, a key aspect of product development. It is especially important for the safe and effective deployment of new solutions like automated driving systems.

Bartholomew's passion for standardization has carried over to his involvement in SAE International programs. He currently chairs SAE's On-Road Automated Driving (ORAD) Committee, which is responsible for developing and maintaining SAE standards for motor vehicle driving automation systems, including internationally recognized driving automation classifications (Levels 0-5). These are crucial to establishing a common understanding of driving automation technology's various capabilities and to continuing to improve its performance. Additionally, he is a member of SAE's Motor Vehicle Council, which oversees groups like the ORAD Committee.

"Chris embodies so much of what we try to do at DENSO: collaborate for a better world, deliver high-quality solutions, and put safety first," said Roger Berg, vice president of North America R&D at DENSO. "This is a well-deserved recognition not only for his important contributions to DENSO teams, but also to all he does to help push our industry forward."

As an SAE Fellow, Bartholomew will continue to focus on strengthening technology standards at DENSO and through cross-industry collaboration.

If interested in opportunities at a leading supplier committed to advancing mobility safety, visit DENSO's career page.

About DENSO 
Globally headquartered in Kariya, Japan, DENSO is a $47.9 billion leading mobility supplier that develops advanced technology and components for nearly every vehicle make and model on the road today. With manufacturing at its core, DENSO invests in around 180 facilities worldwide to provide opportunities for rewarding careers and to produce cutting-edge electrification, powertrain, thermal and mobility electronics products, among others, that change how the world moves. In developing such solutions, the company's 158,000 global employees are paving the way to a mobility future that improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents, and preserves the environment. DENSO spent around 8.6 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. For more information about DENSO's operations worldwide, visit https://www.denso.com/global/en/. 

In North America, DENSO is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, and employs 27,000+ team members across nearly 50 sites in the U.S, Canada and Mexico. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, DENSO in North America generated $12.5 billion in consolidated sales. To learn more about DENSO operations in the region and explore career opportunities, please visit https://www.denso.com/us-ca/en/. 

SOURCE DENSO