Rising_stars_2024
Event

Automotive News Europe – Rising Stars 2026

Automotive News Europe Congress | 9-10 June 2026, | Brussels, Belgium

Join Capgemini in celebrating the industry’s top emerging talents

The transformation of the automotive industry intensifies. As it does, there’s never been a better time for emerging leaders to step forward and shape the future of mobility. As a partner to the world’s leading automotive OEMs, tier-1 suppliers, and technology companies, Capgemini is at the heart of the industry’s transformation, helping to shape a future we can all be proud of.

As exclusive sponsor and lead partner, we are proud to support the Automotive News Europe Rising Stars awards – demonstrating our commitment to ensuring a healthy, inclusive future for the industry and nurturing its brightest emerging talents. As always, we look forward to supporting the Rising Stars on their career journeys and celebrating their future achievements.

This year’s winners will be announced at the Automotive News Europe Congress, which takes place on 9-10 June in Brussels, Belgium.

Be sure to check back here after the event to learn who won.

Automotive News Europe Rising Stars 2025 winners

  • Karel Verpoorten — Toyota Europe — Aftersales
  • Silvia-Luna Yzaguirre Sanchez — PowerCo — Battery Manufacturing
  • Mariella Minutolo — ETAS — Business Development
  • Frederico Ferrarini — Renault Group — Business Strategy
  • Mino Yamamoto — Valeo — Circular Economy
  • Dave Amantea — Automobili Pininfarina — Design
  • Kaynaz Behdin — Stellantis — Digital
  • Tassilo Wirth — BMW Group — Digital Car
  • Nils Martens — Garrett Motion — e-Mobility
  • Julia Grab — Stellantis — Engineering
  • Sylvain Verstraeten — Lotus Tech — Engineering
  • Tibor Boettcher — Volkswagen Insurance Company — Financial Services
  • Lorraine Frega — Michelin — General Management
  • Glenn Pieters — Toyota Europe — Hydrogen
  • Michael Marr — Audi — IT
  • Eligio Catarinella — Stellantis — Marketing
  • Akhil Krishnan — Volvo Cars — Program Management
  • Bruno Hohmann — Renault Group — Sales
  • Giulia Gherardi — Volvo Cars — Supply Chain

Rising Stars Speak – a platform for Rising Stars to shine

Beyond our support for the Rising Stars awards, we also partner with Automotive News Europe to provide a platform for award winners to share insight and opinions about the topics shaping the future of the automotive and mobility landscape. We do this through dedicated ‘Rising Stars speak’ episodes of our ‘Driving the Future’ podcast. Check out the details of specific episodes below:

Find more episodes

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Speakers

Pamela Amann

Hydi Innovation (previously at INEOS Automotive)

2024 Rising Star

Jean-Philippe Bahuaud

The Future is Neutral

2023 Rising Star

Jean-Christophe Deville

Toyota

2011 Rising Star

Jürgen Müller

Bosch

2020 Rising Star

Dr. Thomas Manfred Müller

Audi AG (previously at VW Group China)

2015 Rising Star

Philipp Engler

BMW

2022 Rising Star

Virginie Maillard

Siemens (previously at Renault Group)

2015 Rising Star

Dr. Nari Kahle

FIEGE (previously at CARIAD)

2022 Rising Star

Ronal Hoedemakers

Toyota

2021 Rising Star

Sangeeta Ron

Sangeeta Ron

Senior Director, Financial Services Insights & Data

Capgemini and the automotive industry

Capgemini is a global business and technology transformation partner for leading automotive OEMs (across passenger and commercial vehicles) and their suppliers.

With broad and deep capabilities across strategy and innovation, engineering, and IT, we are uniquely equipped to help our clients harness the power of data and AI to accelerate their progress on industry-defining developments like autonomous mobility, software-defined vehicles, and new energy vehicles (NEVS), while simultaneously enabling them to transform their engineering processes, supply chains, manufacturing operations  circular economy, and many others.

Through our innovative Intelligent Industry approach, our extensive experience in automotive, and our ecosystem of technology partners, we are committed to helping the industry achieve new levels of efficiency and competitiveness, while accelerating to a future of safe, satisfying, and sustainable mobility experiences.

Research and insights

Point of view

Accelerate the transition to intelligent manufacturing
Capgemini Research Institute

The software-driven mobility era: Beyond vehicles

capgemini-research-institute capgemini-research-institute
Report

Physical AI

capgemini-research-institute capgemini-research-institute
Report

Reindustrialization of Europe and US 2026

capgemini-research-institute capgemini-research-institute

Offer

    Intelligent Manufacturing Services for Automotive by Capgemini

    To tackle disruption, automakers must boost efficiency, cut costs, stay agile, and get it “right first time”.

    Read more

    Product Traceability for Automotive

    Automakers face challenging traceability requirements, with European product passport regulations applying to batteries from early 2027.

    Read more

    Software-driven mobility

    Bringing together the strengths of Capgemini in one offer

    Learn more

    Automotive supply chain resiliency services

    Helping automotive companies redefine their supply chain processes so that they become a source of strategic competitive advantage.

    Read more

    Automotive connected mobility

    Realize the promise of connected mobility.

    Read more

    Discover the GenAI campaign builder

    Create new marketing campaign concepts in minutes.

    Learn more

      Expert perspective

      Intelligent industry

      How automotive manufacturing hubs drive resilience in a geopolitically disrupted world

      Capgemini
      Apr 23, 2026
      Sustainability

      Future-proofing the battery value chain: a roadmap for automotive leaders  

      Capgemini
      Aug 23, 2025
      Mobility

      It’s time to rethink the software-driven mobility value proposition from the customer’s perspective

      Praveen Cherian
      Aug 22, 2025

      Explore further

      Automotive Industry

      Automotive

      Leading the transformation of commercial vehicles

      Intelligent industry

      Meet our experts

      Laurence Noël

      Laurence Noël

      EVP, Head of Global Automotive Industry, Capgemini
      Laurence Noël is a distinguished professional with a robust background in the automotive industry. She has more than 25 years of experience, and was previously Senior Vice President of the Circular Economy Business Unit at Stellantis. Leveraging a diverse background across management of business units, strategic planning and engineering, Laurence empowers clients to shape profitable and successful strategies, achieve transformation, and meet automotive sustainability goals.
      Christian Hummel

      Christian Hummel

      EVP, Global Head of Automotive, Capgemini Invent
      Global focus, sustainability ambitions, tech advancements, and demand for regional value chains are driving transformative change across the automotive industry. It’s an exciting time to be part of this journey helping clients shape intelligent, sustainable, and connected futures.
      Fabienne Lefever – Our Expert

      Fabienne Lefever

      Vice President – Head of Automotive Industry for Capgemini Engineering
      With an extensive automotive industry knowledge and a strong ambition to support Automotive customers in achieving a safer, smarter, more sustainable & affordable mobility experience, Fabienne is leading Capgemini engineering roadmap and business for the Automotive Industry. She will bring her experience to help customers make the most of the opportunities offered by digital & software technologies to design and build tomorrow’s products & businesses while boosting their competitiveness.
      Sebastian Tschödrich – Our Expert

      Sebastian Tschödrich

      EVP, Global Client Partner, Capgemini
      Sebastian Tschödrich leads Capgemini’s support for one of the world’s leading automotive companies, ensuring that it benefits from the breadth and depth of our evolving service portfolio. He has more than 15 years’ experience in digital transformation and automotive consulting in Europe and China, including a spell as Head of the Global Automotive practice for Capgemini Invent. He has authored papers and is a frequent key note speaker on key strategic priorities for automotive companies, such as connectivity, customer experience, data and circularity.
      Yvonne Veyhelmann

      Yvonne Veyhelmann

      EVP & Group Client Partner, Capgemini
      Yvonne brings 10+ years of leadership in managing large business units, P&Ls, and go-to-market strategies. Since mid-2023, she has led Capgemini’s manufacturing segment in Germany, driving Intelligent Industries with clients like Siemens and Bosch. Previously, she headed Atos’ Digital Business in Central Europe, where she built and scaled its digital portfolio.
      Hagen Didjurgeit

      Hagen Didjurgeit

      Executive Vice President – Global Account Executive
      A trained mechanical engineer, Hagen is a salesman at heart and a lifelong automotive enthusiast. At the start of his career, he combined these three passions while serving as managing director of his own engineering company. In parallel, he worked as a consultant within the automotive industry, specializing in strategy and change management. In 2007, Hagen was appointed global client service manager for a premium OEM, giving him the opportunity to further develop his expertise in sales and automotive. In 2014, he joined Capgemini as a global account executive and, in the years that followed, drove a ten-fold increase in the size of the account.
      Ralf Blessmann – Our Expert

      Ralf Blessmann

      EVP, Group Client Partner, Capgemini
      Ralf brings over 13+ years of experience in driving client leadership and business growth. As Group Client Partner at Capgemini, he leads complex global engagements, with a strong track record in automotive leadership in Germany. His work spans managing strategic client accounts across regions, reflecting a pragmatic, results-driven approach to global relationship management.
      Laura Muratore

      Laura Muratore

      EVP & Group Client Partner, Capgemini
      Laura is an energetic leader with 25+ years in Automotive, Semi-conductor, and Telecom industries. At Capgemini, she spent 10 years driving P&L growth and transformation as Director of Manufacturing, Automotive & Consumer Products, and later as Sales Director for Italy. With a strong engineering background and deep market insight, she now leads global teams serving a top OEM.
      Bertrand corre

      Bertrand Corre

      VP, Group Client Partner, Capgemini
      Over 15+ years at Capgemini, he has built his career around leading client relationships and driving growth at scale. As Group Client Partner for Toyota, he leads a strategic global engagement spanning geographies and teams. His experience includes working with Schneider Electric, Airbus, and Orange – shaping a pragmatic, partnership-led approach to value creation.
      Colette Claudia Albertazzi

      Colette Claudia Albertazzi

      VP, Group Client Partner, Capgemini
      Colette brings over 20 years of experience in shaping strategic client relationships and driving sustained business growth. As Global Client Partner at Capgemini, she leads complex global accounts, combining expertise in sales, transformation, and executive engagement, focused on delivering innovation and measurable value across industries.