Podcasts

Sustainable Solutions for Cities of Tomorrow, Andrea Kollmorgen Vice President, Connected eMobility Siemens

Women Driving the Future: Andrea Kollmorgen Siemens

If you created a wish list for the cities of the future, what would it include? City dwellers would likely want noise reduction and less pollution. With sustainability and solution-oriented leaders in the driver’s seat, it’s entirely possible that we might one day breathe cleaner, healthier urban air. The cities of tomorrow might actually offer more tranquility and connection, even in the busiest and most populated metropolitan areas.

In this episode of the Women Driving the Future series, Ed Bernardon talks to Andrea Kollmorgen, VP Head of Connected (e)Mobility, based in Munich. By working with autonomy, connected, and electric shared mobility, she stays ahead of the innovation curve to conceptualize and develop the latest industry technology trends.

Today, we’ll learn about Andrea’s role and the unique career path that led her to join the team at Siemens from her previous background in finance.  She’ll talk about how she pinpoints trends in technology to ensure that Siemens continues to play an active role in the future of transportation. They discuss the challenges of disrupting the old order, and what the urban environment could look like 20 years into the future.

Some Questions I Ask:

  • What was your focus when you went to school for your MBA? (8:10)
  • Which problem was your team in school the most excited to solve? (9:22)
  • Can a big company like Siemens be as nimble as a startup? (11:04)
  • How do you go about figuring out how to get all these pieces to work together? (15:05)
  • Can you give us an example of when you were challenging the old order? (20:27)
  • How has your work with Roland Busch helped you achieve your goals? (25:00)
  • What do you see walking through the urban landscape of 2040? (27:15)

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  • Andrea’s experience of working in finance during the crash in 2007 (6:04)
  • The evolution of her role at Siemens (12:50)
  • The difference between technology and technology solutions (17:39)
  • How sustainable technology looks different around the world (22:25)
  • Why decentralization will force a reckoning between humans and technology (31:15)
  • The one big problem she would solve (35:11)

Andrea Kollmorgen, Siemens - Guest

Andrea Kollmorgen, Siemens – Guest

Andrea Kollmorgen is the global head of Connected eMobility one of Siemens core technology fields. She leads a department of rockstars responsible for the development of innovative technology solutions and business applications shaping the future of mobility – from electric, connected, and autonomous transport solutions to urban mobility strategies around the globe. Recently named a 2020 Rising Star by Automotive News Europe, she brings a diverse perspective to the industry and to movement from point A to point B, cultivated from her years of innovation development and strategic management consulting at Siemens after leaving an investment fund in New York City.

Andrea received her MBA from the ESADE Business School. She also has degrees in International Economics and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she kicked around a soccer ball as an NCAA Division I student athlete. Having retired from that life as well, she spends most of her free time obsessed with trekking across the Alps, the drinking part of oenology and often combining the two.

Ed Bernardon, Vice President Strategic Automotive Initiatives – Host

Ed Bernardon, Vice President Strategic Automotive Initiatives – Host

Ed is currently VP Strategic Automotive Initiatives at Siemens Digital Industries Software. Responsibilities include strategic planning and business development in areas of design of autonomous/connected vehicles, lightweight automotive structures and interiors. He is also responsible for Future Car thought leadership which includes hosting the Future Car Podcast and development of cross divisional projects. Previously he was a founding member of VISTAGY that developed light-weight structure and automotive interior design software acquired by Siemens in 2011, he previously directed the Automation and Design Technology Group at MIT Draper Laboratory.  Ed holds an M.S. in mechanical engineering from MIT, B.S. in mechanical engineering from Purdue, and MBA from Butler.

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On the Move: A Siemens Automotive Podcast Podcast

On the Move: A Siemens Automotive Podcast

The automotive and transportation industries are in the middle of a transformation in how vehicles are designed, made, and sold. Driven by an influx of new technologies, consumer demands, environmental pressures, and a changing workforce in factories and offices, automotive companies are pushing to reinvent fundamental aspects of their businesses. This includes developing more advanced and capable vehicles, identifying new revenue sources, improving customer experiences, and changing the ways in which features and functionality are built into vehicles.

Welcome to On the Move, a podcast from Siemens Digital Industries Software that will dive into the acceleration of mobility innovation amid unprecedented change in the automotive and transportation industries. Join hosts Nand Kochhar, VP of Automotive and Transportation, and Conor Peick, Automotive and Transportation Writer, as they dive into the shifting automotive landscape with expert guests from Siemens and around the industry. Tune in to learn about modern automotive design and engineering challenges, how software and electronics have grown in use and importance, and where the industries might be heading in the future.

Listen on:

Edward Bernardon

Ed has over 25 years experience as an entrepreneur and executive in industries related to software, design, and automated manufacturing in a variety of industries including automotive, aerospace, and apparel. Primary roles have been as a sales and business development executive in early stage startups that have grown to become global in scope. Ed is currently Vice President of Strategic Automotive Initiatives at Siemens Specialized Engineering Software. In this role, he is responsible for strategic planning, business development, and making initial sales of new products to market leading companies. The primary focus of these efforts has been in the areas of design and manufacture of lightweight automotive structures and transportation interiors. Prior to Siemens, he was the third principal member and Vice President of Sales for VISTAGY that, without any outside funding, developed industry leading software for design and manufacturing of light-weight composite parts. Initially the sole sales person, he expanded sales to a global organization with direct and channel partners in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Ed was a key member of the executive team during the global expansion of VISTAGY and the transaction of Siemens acquisition in 2011. Prior to VISTAGY, Ed directed the Automation and Design Technology Group at the MIT Draper Laboratory, developing manufacturing processes, robotics, and complementary design software for composites, automotive and textile applications. Projects included design of a composite car body, FRTM and preform pick/place for composites fabrication, as well as robotic equipment for the manufacture of men’s suits, blue jeans, sweatpants and other apparel. Ed holds an M.S. in mechanical engineering from MIT, a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, and an MBA from Butler University. He also has numerous patents in the area of high volume automated composite manufacturing systems, robotics and laser technologies.

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This article first appeared on the Siemens Digital Industries Software blog at https://blogs.stage.sw.siemens.com/podcasts/on-the-move/andrea-kollmorgen-vice-president-connected-emobility-siemens/