Tata Motors' Global Design VP Among Finalists of 2021 World Car Person of the Year

 

Tata Motors' Vice President of Global Design Pratap Bose has been nominated for the 2021 World Car Person of the Year award. He is among five finalists that have been chosen by 93 World Car Awards (WCA) jurors from 28 countries.

The title of the World Car Person of the Year is awarded to those who have made a significant contribution in terms of engineering, design, safety or technical advancement.

The World Car Person of the Year award is just one of six awards handed out annually by the World Car Awards. The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004. Previous winners include Carlos Tavares, CEO of PSA Group, Sergio Marchionne, CEO of FCA and Chairman and CEO of Ferrari as well as Hakan Samuelsson, President and CEO of Volvo.

The top five finalists are, in alphabetical order:

PRATAP BOSE (Tata Motors)

 

Pratap Bose is Tata's Vice-President, Global Design. In that role the Royal College of Art graduate brings an international perspective to India's leading automotive conglomerate as he now leads three design centers around the world: in India, Italy, and the UK. His multi-national experience and truly global perspective are raising Tata's design presence, both within and beyond India, and gaining recognition for its daring, forward-looking design strategy.

LUC DONCKERWOLKE (Hyundai Motor Group)

Luc Donckerwolke has returned to Hyundai, where he has created a spectacularly successful design strategy for the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands. His leadership style is supportive and empowering and his enthusiasm for cars and mobility solutions is unbridled. As Chief Creative Officer for the Hyundai Group, Luc Donckerwolke is the driving design force behind the Genesis luxury brand and its sophisticated style, particularly the G80 and GV80.

EUISUN CHUNG (Hyundai Motor Group)

Euisun Chung is the Chairman, Hyundai Motor Group and grandson of the founder of Hyundai. As such, he has lead the rise of Hyundai-Kia into the ranks of the global top five automakers. He has brought together an "all-star" team of designers starting with Peter Schryer and continuing with Luc Donckerwolke, SangYup Lee, Simon Loasby, and Karim Habib. Hyundai and Kia under his supervision have become serious competitors in the electrification race, with major strides in hybrid, fuel-cell, and EV technology.

TOMIKO TAKEUCHI (Mazda Motor Corporation)

Breaking barriers and "glass-ceilings" for women in a male-dominated industry, Tomiko Takeuchi is Mazda's first-ever female chief engineer and program manager, of the MX-30. She is also Mazda's first
female development and evaluation test driver, just one of the skill sets, along with her background in innovation and design, that enabled her to expertly lead 1,000 staff around the globe involved in the creation and debut of the MX-30 - Mazda's first-ever fully electric vehicle.

AKIO TOYODA (Toyota Motor Corporation)

Akio Toyoda, the charismatic President/CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation, has spent years successfully remaking his company. Toyota was the world's largest automaker by sales volume and still profitable in 2020, despite COVID-19, protecting jobs worldwide. He has maintained Toyota's pace of steady development for the CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric) era and has initiated construction of the Woven City, an exciting real-life prototype city of the future. All while actively participating in motorsports as a driver.