One of the most innovative companies in the automotive sector, Continental is preparing for the challenges and opportunities that future mobility offers. Auto Tech Review recently spoke to Frank Jourdan, Member of the Executive Board and President of the Chassis & Safety Division, Continental AG to understand the direction the company intends to take and the role it is likely to play in the mobility of tomorrow.
Born on August 4, 1960 in Groß-Gerau, Germany, Frank Jourdan graduated from the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences in 1987 in electrical engineering with a major in control systems. He began his professional journey as a software development engineer for ABS with ITT Teves (now Continental AG) in Frankfurt am Main in 1988. He moved to the US in 1990 in ITT Automotive North America operations as a software engineer and took over as the Director of Supplier Development, in charge of quality assurance of purchased parts in 1996. In 2000, he joined Continental Automotive Mexicana, Silao, Mexico to set-up a plant for manufacturing wheel speed sensors for electronic brake systems. He joined Continental AG in 2009 as EVP for Vehicle Dynamics Business Unit, Chassis & Safety division. On September 25, 2013, he was made a Member of the Executive Board, Chassis & Safety Division and President of the Chassis & Safety Division.
Considering the kind of disruptions we see in the mobility sector today, how do you view the future of mobility?
Let’s look at the participants in the mobility sector. Cars, in particular, will inevitably move to being electrified. It’s just a matter of time. The speed at which this will move isn’t quite clear, and that makes making decisions on investments and likely timelines rather difficult.
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