Copyright 2024 SPARK

Despite some cooling of electric vehicle sales in the U.S. market, emerging markets around the world are creating their own hot spots on the electrification journey. Whether it’s new educational initiatives to prepare future EV business leaders and automotive workers to new policies and investments designed to create new EV innovation and manufacturing hubs, there’s a lot to learn from a new generation of leaders and innovators across geographies.

The William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan (WDI) invites you to a learning webinar featuring EV leaders in Costa Rica, Mexico and the Philippines. Each with a different market perspective, this WDI discussion will reveal how emerging actors and new collaborations are energizing the EV value chain.

Meet the Speakers: 

  • Octavio Jimenez
    Founder and Current Executive Director of the CEA Institute and Motoschool in Costa Rica since 1999. Graduate in Educational Administration and Master’s in Business Administration in Costa Rica.
  • Audie Vergara
    Executive Director of Apl.de.Ap Foundation International (APLFI), leading efforts to strengthen middle-class communities in the Philippines through workforce development and education aimed at advancing skills in electronics, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and electric vehicles.
  • Cynthia López
    Executive Director of Desarrollo Económico de Ciudad Juárez, a non-profit organization formed by the leaders of the top-performing companies in the region, aiming to enhance the quality of life for its residents and boost the economy of the Juárez-El Paso region. Cynthia is also a leader in the sustainable urban mobility movement in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.
  • Diana Paez
    Senior Director, Energy & Mobility at WDI, helping energy and mobility businesses and stakeholders in low and middle-income countries take advantage of business opportunities and adapt to changes brought about by the energy transition. To do so, she leverages more than a decade of global development experience working with partners across government, private sector, academia, and civil society.