Since 2002, Ali Y. Koç has been President of the Information Technologies Group of Koc Holding, the largest privately owned industrial conglomerate in Turkey. In August of 2006, he additionally assumed the role of President of Corporate Communications for Koc Holding. From 1994 to 2002, he was the Coordinator of New Business Development for Koc Holding. He previously worked as a management trainee at American Express Bank and as a financial analyst for Morgan Stanley. Ali Y. Koc obtained his BA in Business Administration at Rice University, 1989; and his MBA from Harvard University, 1997. He is a member of The Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitat (TEMA), 1907 Fenerbahce Association, Turkish - American Business Council (TAIK-DEIK), National Competitiveness Research Association (URAK) and Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD).

Turgay Durak was born in Istanbul in 1952. He studied in Robert College and then joined Northwestern University studying Mechanical Engineering where he also took a M.Sc. degree. His Ford career started in 1976 in the Department of Product Development as a Design Engineer. Later, he worked as a Process Engineer in the same department. In 1979 he was appointed as a Supervisor in Inonu Engine Plant New Investments Department, where he later became the Project Coordination Manager and the Project Coordination Group Manager afterwards. He worked as the Assistant General Manager in Marketing and then in Purchasing. He then became the Deputy General Manager and General Manager in 2002. Since 2007, he has been Koç Holding Automotive Group President.

Jan Nahum is currently the CEO of Hexagon, a Turkish consultancy company. In 2005 Mr. Nahum was named CEO and member of the board of Petrol Ofisi. He serves as a board member to Karsan, a Turkish Motor Vehicles and Spare Parts corporation and is president of the board of +90, a fast manufacturing technologies company. His areas of expertise include automotive, industrial design, industrial engineering, strategic planning and management. Prior to joining Petrol Ofisi, Mr. Nahum was president of international development of Fiat Auto S.P.A. from 2002 through 2004. He was CEO of Tofas Turkey, one of the flagship organizations in the Turkish Automotive Industry, from 1998 to 2002 and General Manager of the same company since 1994. Before, he served as general manager to Otokar, for 10 years. Mr. Nahum began his career in 1973 with Ford Otosan, a joint venture between Koc Holding and Ford, as a project engineer. He later became the Head of Design and Director of the Koc R&D Division, where he remained for nearly 10 years. Mr. Nahum graduated from renowned Robert College in Istanbul in 1971 and received an M.DES.RCA degree in automotive design from the Royal College of Art in London in 1973.

Iskender Gokalp was born in 1951 in Istanbul. He received his B.S. degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Istanbul Technical University. He had his M.Sc. in Thermal and Mechanical Sciences and PhD. in Combustion from University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris. He joined CNRS in 1994 and has been working as Research Director, Founder and Director of the Energetics, Propulsion, Space and Environment, Director of the French National Center for Technological Research on Propulsion of the Future and Director of the Laboratoire de Combustion et Systémes. He is the editor of many scientific magazines and journals, also is the president and a member of many boards including Scientific Board of the University Orléans, Boards of Directors, Microgravity Advisory Committee, ESA Topical Team. He is a supervisor of more than 60 Ph.D at the University of Orléans, since 1987.

Prof. Johansson received his PhD from Division of Combustion Engines, Department of Heat and Power Engineering, Lund Institute of Technology at Lund University in 1989. He worked as a Research Engineer until 1996 and Assistant Professor until 2001 at the Division of Combustion Engines, Department of Heat and Power Engineering, Lund Institute of Technology at Lund University. From 2001, he’s been working as a Full Professor at the same department. He’s Head of Division of Combustion Engines at Lund University since 2004 and Vice-Head of Department since the same date. He’s also Head of the STEM Competence Centre Combustion Processes since 2003. Among the awards he received are: “SAE Horning Memorial Award” (2000), “SAE Arch T. Colwell Merit Award for one of top 16 papers 1999”. He has published more than 100 research articles.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ferit Küçükay Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ferit Küçükay is the managing director of the Institute of Automotive Engineering at the Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany. Prof. Küçükay studied Mechanical Engineering and graduated from the Technical University of Munich, got his doctorate there at the department of Mechanical Engineering. After that he worked for BMW at “Chassis Pre-Development” and “Power Train Development” from 1985 to 1997. He was, inter alia, head of “Concept and Methodology Powertrain”, Manager “Automatic Transmissions”, responsible for “Quality Issues Powertrain in USA” and was offered the position of Managing Director of “Drive Train”. In 1997 he was called to take over the Institute of Automotive Engineering at the Technical University of Braunschweig and accepted. His focus in research and development are the fields of “Vehicle Dynamics”, “Chassis Engineering”, “Power Train“, “Driver Assistance Systems”, “Objectification of subjective driver-, road- and vehicle parameters” as well as “Representative Requirements based on Customers’ Use”. 

Professor Claude LAURGEAU is one of the pioneers in Robotics in France. He is the author of 5 books, co-author of many others, and of more than 150 papers or communications. For many years he played an active role at a national level, boosting the research activities in new technologies of information, communications and robotics and contributing to the equipment of laboratories in the country. In 1988, he became professor at Ecole des Mines de Paris, which is one of the most prestigious Grande Ecole in the French system of education. He founded and developed the Robotics Centre which conducts activities in Intelligent Transportation Systems, in Virtual Reality, in Medical Imaging and Robotics, in Advanced Control Systems and in Production Management and Logistics. In 2004, he obtained, the “Engelberger Awards” which is the highest international distinction in Robotics.

Prof. Ozguner received his MSc degree and PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from Istanbul Technical University in 1971 and University of Illinois in 1975, respectively. He specializes in large-scale, intelligent systems modeling and optimization, hybrid systems, decentralized control, automotive (ABS, active suspension, integrated vehicle dynamics), and transportation systems (optimal routing and relation to signalization), Automated Highway Systems and all aspects of ITS. He has been involved in various conference organization activities, including Technical Program Co-chairman for 9th IEEE International Symposium on Intelligent Control, General Chairman of 10th IEEE International Symposium on Intelligent Control. He was the President of IEEE ITS Council in 1999 and 2000. He is a member of the ITS Ohio Executive Committee, from 1994 to present. He’s currently is a Full Professor in Electrical Engineering at University of Illinois and TRC Inc. Chair on ITS.

Gianfranco Rizzo is a Full Professor in Fluid Machines and Energy Conversion Systems at the University of Salerno, Italy. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering, University of Naples (1975). Posts held: FIAT (1978), CNR (Research National Council, 1979-81); University of Naples (1982-92), University of Salerno (1992-). Author of about 100 papers in: modeling and control of automotive engines; hybrid and solar vehicles; modeling and optimal design of power plants (conventional and hybrid) and turbomachinery; modeling and optimal management of bio-economic systems. Vice-Chair of IFAC Technical Committee "Automotive Control". "Best Paper Award" at AVEC04 Symposium, Arnhem (NL). Responsabile of projects sponsored by EU (FAIR, Leonardo) and by industry.

Dr. Winkelman received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1976. He has over 30 years of postgraduate industrial experience in developing advanced products at General Electric, Ford, Visteon and Plug Power. Dr. Winkelman is the Director of Honda programs at Plug Power a leading fuel cell systems provider. While at Visteon, Dr. Winkelman was a Senior Manager in the Visteon Powertrain organization and led the Advanced Energy Management Systems department. This cross-functional multi-disciplined department was responsible for development of advanced system products ranging from hybrid vehicle powertrain products such as high power electric drives and starter alternators to advanced IC engine technologies such as low pressure direct injection, ionization current feedback combustion control and electro-mechanical valve actuation systems. He held this position for seven years, prior to that; he managed the Ford Motorsports Electronics department. This department developed all manors of electronic vehicle controls ranging from engine management systems for turbo-charged engines to active suspension and four-wheel steering systems. He has authored over 70 technical papers, dozens of internal reports and authored or co-authored 4 books or chapters in books. He has more that a dozen patents or pending patents.