Mercedes Figueroa was appointed VP NA Transportation Operations effective July 2023. In this position, she manages all logistics services for inland transport (known as Regional Logistics Centers) to move production parts and service parts cost effectively and on time across North America assembly and manufacturing plants, as well as the distribution of finished vehicles in North America, and the import and export of material and vehicles in and out of the region. She is also responsible for logistics quality, interregional flows and transport operations in Detroit, Michigan, Toledo, Ohio and Windsor, Ontario. Mercedes Figueroa has more than 25 years of supply chain experience having held a wide variety of management positions in procurement, finance, customs, logistics, operations, and strategic network optimization. She began her career with Chrysler Mexico and has also managed international logistics operations for Europe, Asia and South America. From 2014 to 2017, she was the head of logistics, customs and damage prevention for FCA Mexico.

Gerardo de la Torre is an experienced automotive supply chain executive with extensive experience leading Nissan’s regional and global supply chain and manufacturing operations. He is currently responsible for leading supply chain improvements, innovation and digitalisation across supply chain management functions in North America, including the carmaker’s digital action plan. De la Torre recently led Nissan Americas Semiconductor Supply Crisis Management Strategy enabling incremental production volume during the severe global supply crisis, receiving the 2021 Global Nissan President Special Award in recognition of his leadership and his teams’ contribution. Since joining Nissan in 1989 he has successfully implemented global innovations, improvements and strategies across new model launches in Mexico, Brazil and USA, dealer and manufacturing order-to-delivery and vehicle allocation in the Americas markets, and global sales planning and car flow management in Japan. In 2015 Gerardo also received the Global Nissan-Renault Alliance SCM Innovation award in Paris.

Ana Lucia Ochoa leads supply chain functions across the driveline division at American Axle Manufacturing (AAM), which produces rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive systems for internal combustion, hybrid electric and full electric vehicles. She took on her current role in February 2024, having most recently led supply chain management for the company’s metal forming division. Based at the manufacturer’s headquarters in Michigan, Ana Lucia Ochoa oversees sales and operations planning (S&OP), plan for every part, inventory management, forecasting and tracking, as well as logistics management. In her corporate role, she also helps define and meet supply chain and logistics targets across the organisation. Ana Lucia Ochoa has more than 15 years’ experience at AAM across both Mexico and the US, and has held a wide range of roles in supply chain, logistics and procurement across the company. She has degrees in supply chain and logistics, and international trade business from the University of Guanajuato in Mexico. As well as supply chain strategy and leadership, she is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion at AAM and the automotive supply chain.

Oliver Bilstein is responsible for logistics and production control operations for BMW’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, which is the OEM’s largest factory globally. He oversees inbound logistics, plant logistics and material control across the plant’s multiple warehouses, press, body and paint shops and battery assembly, with responsibility through to outbound logistics shipping and export. Bilstein has been with BMW for 25 years across functions including corporate planning, capacity planning and model allocation, as well as logistics. He spent three years in China leading production projects for BMW’s JV BMW Brilliance, and led logistics and financial controlling for BMW’s plant in Munich before taking on his current role in 2021.

Mike Wall serves as the Executive Director of Automotive Analysis at S&P Global Mobility. He brings over 25 years of financial analysis, forecasting, consulting and manufacturing experience to the firm, with a primary focus on assisting financial firms and manufacturers in their evaluation and understanding of the auto industry, as well as in-depth analysis of vehicle markets and trends.
Mike has extensive experience working with both manufacturing and financial firms. With a knowledgebase established studying and covering the automotive industry as well as experience in financial analysis and banking, Mike is able to offer clients timely and relevant insight, thereby aiding their strategic planning or investment analysis processes. Moreover, he has a deep background in the area of vehicle forecasting and market trend analysis allowing him to assist clients in their assessment of near-term risks and planning scenarios.
Prior to joining S&P Global Mobility, Mike was the Director of Forecasting at IRN, Inc. He has also held financial and analytical positions in the manufacturing and banking sectors. Mike graduated Summa Cum Laude with an undergraduate degree in Finance from Grand Valley State University. He later earned the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation.

Since October 2021, Skotti has been responsible for Accuride’s global activities in the areas of procurement and strategic sourcing, logistics and distribution, supplier quality and development. She is a member of the Company’s Executive Committee and reports to the Board and President/CEO.
At Accuride, Fietsam has navigated a global supply chain freight shortage, unprecedented fluctuations in raw material and significant cost increase diversions.
Fietsam began her supply chain career at Chrysler where she worked in Finance, Purchasing, Supplier Quality and IT. She progressed onto BorgWarner as a strategy manager for the Global Supply Management team. She was responsible for setting the sourcing strategy for 61 plants across the globe. She was then first appointed to be a Plant Manager at a new site near Sao Paulo, Brazil and then to lead a larger plant ($110M) in Guadalajara, Mexico with customer base including Ford, Nissan, VW, and GM.
Immediately prior to joining Accuride, Fietsam served as Senior Operations and then Product Manager in IT Supply Chain at Amazon. She was responsible for developing mechanisms that decreased customer delivery time by automating supply chain process for procuring and delivering IT equipment over $1.2 billion spent annually across 3200 sites globally.

Frank Bateman is a Vice President for Ryder Supply Chain Solutions servicing the Automotive Vertical.  He joined Ryder in 2000 and has served in positions of increasing responsibility, including Logistics Engineer, Logistics Manager, Group Logistics Manager, Director, and Group Director.  He has led the successful development of several accounts and manages a blended portfolio of locations in the United States, along the southern border, and in the interior of Mexico.  Frank holds Bachelor’s degrees in International Business and Spanish and a Master of Business Administration.

Jim has spent over 20 years with C.H. Robinson, serving in a variety of commercial and leadership roles in the company’s Chicago, Miami, and Minnesota offices. He is currently a Vice President in the North American Surface Transportation division, with oversight of the company’s automotive vertical. In this leadership role, Jim is focused on providing a seamless experience, superior outcomes, and continuous improvement for our automotive customers. Jim is based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota at C.H. Robinson’s headquarters. He holds a BBA, Finance from the University of Iowa and an MBA from the University of Manchester.

Mike Erickson is the President and Founder of AFMS – Global Transportation Consultants. He has been involved in the parcel industry for over three decades. His career began at Airborne Express, where he excelled as one of their top District Managers before establishing AFMS in 1992. Under Mike's leadership, AFMS has become a leading firm in parcel contract benchmarking, contract negotiation support, and invoice auditing across the United States, Europe, and Canada. The company has assisted some of the world's largest shippers, including GE, Honda, Sony, Under Armour, Dell, McKesson, Disney, Johnson & Johnson, Guess, American Eagle, Best Buy, Bose, Toyota, StockX, and many others, in securing best-in-class parcel rates. Mike has guided AFMS's growth into a nationally recognized transportation contract-benchmarking consulting firm, supported by a team of over 30 former carrier executives, many of whom held senior positions such as VPs and pricing directors at UPS, FedEx, and DHL before joining AFMS.

Ryan Rusnak is the CTO and co-founder of Airspace. He leads the engineering and product team and has over a dozen patents, with more to come! He has a Masters in Human Computer Interaction from Carnegie Mellon University. Ryan’s projects have been featured in Popular Science, on the Discovery Channel, NBC, BBC, WIRED, Gizmodo and other media outlets. Some of the projects in his portfolio include the White House iOS application, web applications for the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Financial Research. Five ladder trucks were once called when his home made electric skateboard caught on fire and he has only electrocuted his wife once.

Sean Baltazar is a seasoned logistics leader with over 15 years of experience. As RPM's Senior Vice President of Sales, he leverages his extensive sales background and market insights to drive success. Sean leads the vehicle and freight sales teams, cultivating strong relationships with sellers and gaining a deep understanding of customer needs. This customer-centric approach allows him to develop tailored services and innovative solutions that exceed client expectations. With his keen eye on industry trends, Sean guides RPM's direction, keeping the organization at the forefront of the dynamic logistics landscape. His unwavering commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction has been instrumental in RPM's growth and success, making him a vital asset to the company's future endeavors.