Magna Creates Tech Council

Magna International Inc. has created a technology advisory council to help the company identify new business opportunities.

The council will contribute to future innovation projects and help steer Magna’s "technology road map.” This will include strategic planning for advanced driver-assistance systems, environmental and automotive safety, overall industry trends and next-generation technologies.

The six-person council is led by Magna’s chief technology officer Swamy Kotagiri (pictured).

Other members include:

• Tony Fadell, the co-creator of Alphabet Inc.’s Apple iPod and iPhone products. He also founded the company’s Nest Labs unit, which pioneered the “internet of things,” and has authored more than 300 patents.
• Mei-Wei Cheng, the former CEO and president for the Chinese subsidiaries of AT&T, Siemens, Ford Motor Co. and General Electric. He currently is a board member of Seagate Technology plc and was the non-executive chairman of Pactera.
• Ian Hunter, a professor of mechanical engineering who runs the bio-instrumentation lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Hunter has founded or co-founded 25 companies and filed more than 150 patents.
• John Maddox, the CEO of the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti Township, Mich., and former assistant director of the University of Michigan’s Mcity testing center. He also was an associate administrator at the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a compliance officer at Volkswagen's North America unit and a research engineer at Ford.
• Paul Mascarenas, a 32-year Ford veteran who retired in 2014 as the carmaker's chief technical officer. He currently is a member of the board of directors for ON Semiconductor Corp. and U.S. Steel Corp.