Leaders from Nissan, GE, Google and NHTSA Highlight List of Speakers at SAE 2012 World Congress

WARRENDALE, Pa., Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SAE International announces its lineup of keynote speakers for the SAE 2012 World Congress and Exhibition, April 24-26, Cobo Center, Detroit.

The SAE 2012 World Congress theme, "GetConnected," represents the new and diverse connections that will drive significant advancements in the auto industry of tomorrow. Not only does the theme symbolize literal connections, such as those between vehicles, infrastructure, the Internet and the nation's electrical grid, but also demonstrates the most fundamental of connections; the connections and relationships between engineers who are developing the next generation vehicle technology. The host company for the SAE 2012 World Congress is Nissan; the tier one strategic partner is GE.

"Events like SAE 2012 World Congress help engineers make connections that spur innovation and change throughout our industry," said Bob Sump, vice president, Nissan Technical Center North America and general chairman for SAE 2012 World Congress. "The Congress provides Nissan the opportunity to showcase our focus on innovation – whether in zero emission vehicles, advanced safety features, telematics or any number of other areas."

Mark Little, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for GE, said, "GE is proud to be Nissan's Tier One Strategic Partner for this year's SAE World Congress. From grid management technologies and vehicle charging systems to fleet management services and smart connections to the home, GE touches every part of the EV infrastructure to support electric vehicle adoption and other next generation vehicle technologies. To ensure success, it's vital for GE and others to be connected to the thousands of automotive engineers who are at the heart of new vehicle innovations. The SAE World Congress is the perfect venue to talk and explore new ways we can chart this future together."

"The SAE World Congress is about technical knowledge and collaboration among industry leaders," Patti Kreh, Manager, Engineering Events, SAE International, said. "This year's event is an excellent example of that collaboration. Nissan and GE have worked together to create a program that offers something for every automotive engineer. We are proud to have them leading this year's SAE World Congress."

Keynote speakers for the SAE 2012 World Congress include:

• Toshiyuki Shiga, Chief Operating Officer, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., will be the keynote speaker for the SAE World Congress Annual Banquet on Thursday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the AVL Technology Leadership Center (W1-52).  Mr. Shiga has served as COO and representative director for NML since 2005. He is currently the lead executive responsible for External and Government Affairs, Intellectual Asset Management, Design, Corporate Governance and Global Internal Audit. Since joining NML in 1976, Shiga has held management positions in Sales operations for Asia and other overseas markets, as well as Corporate Planning. He is currently serving a two-year term as chairman, Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.
• Jeffrey R. Immelt, CEO, GE, will be the keynote speaker on Tuesday, April 24 at 8:30 a.m. in the AVL Technology Leadership Center (W1-52). Mr. Immelt has held several global leadership positions since joining GE in 1982, including roles in GE's Plastics, Appliance, and Healthcare businesses. Mr. Immelt has been named one of the "World's Best CEOs" three times by Barron's, and since he began serving as chief executive officer, GE has been named "America's Most Admired Company" in a poll conducted by Fortune magazine and one of "The World's Most Respected Companies" in polls by Barron's and the Financial Times. He is the chair of President Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. He is also a member of The Business Council.
• Anthony Levandowski, Business Lead for Google's Self-Driving Car project, will be the keynote speaker on Wednesday, April 25 at 9:00 a.m. in the AVL Technology Leadership Center (W1-52).  Mr. Levandowski is the product manager for Google's self-driving car technology.  Mr. Levandowski  joined Google to launch Streetview in 2007.  Prior to that he founded 510 Systems, a developer of mobile mapping and surveying technology.  Notable robots he invented include Ghostrider, an unmanned motorcycle now in the Smithsonian and Pribot, an unmanned vehicle used to deliver pizza in San Francisco.  He has an MS and BS from UC Berkeley in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research.
• David Strickland, Administrator, NHTSA, will serve as keynote speaker on Thursday, April 26 at 9:00 a.m. in the AVL Technology Leadership Center (W1-52).  Mr. Strickland is the fourteenth Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). As the country's top automotive safety official, Mr. Strickland is committed to supporting NHTSA's longstanding mission of reducing crash-related injuries and fatalities while ensuring the highest standards of safety on the nation's roadways. Since being sworn into office on January 4, 2010, Mr. Strickland has overseen the development of the first national fuel efficiency program, helped establish ejection mitigation requirements for automakers, and brought national public focus to child passenger safety issues including the threat of heat stroke from hot cars and back-over deaths and injuries.

For additional information on sessions, topics and speakers at the SAE 2012 World Congress, visit http://www.sae.org/congress/. To request press credentials, e-mail [email protected].

SAE International is a global association of more than 134,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International's core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development. SAE International's charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World In Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series.

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SOURCE SAE International