2027 World Car Awards Administration

Ryan Blair began his IT consulting career in 1997, opening IntraNext Consulting which specializes in the development and integration of database systems for on-line and mobile applications.

For over 20 years Ryan has also worked with the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) to manage their IT requirements, and more specifically, manage the data, controls, and processes for their Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY) program.

Ryan helped create the initial World Car Awards voting process, and continues to enhance the digital tools to simplify and streamline the entire voting process for the WCA jurors. Ryan now also administers all aspects of the World Car Awards program, overseeing the Association, Steering Committee, and all milestones on the Road to World Car.

Automotive editor and consultant

Steve is one of the UK’s best-known automotive journalists and currently EV Editor of The Independent and a regular automotive contributor to The Guardian.
He’s the only person to have edited three of the UK’s biggest car titles – Auto Express, Autocar and What Car? – and has interviewed the biggest names in the car world from Tesla’s Elon Musk to Ford’s Jim Farley.
Steve’s also presented documentaries for Radio Four and is used as a resident ‘car guru’ on TV and Radio. He’s a World Car of the Year juror and a judge on both Germany’s and India’s Car of the Year Awards.

Based in Germany and the USA, Meiners contributes to Auto-Medienportal, GTspirit, The Autopian, Car Design News, Focus, Automobil Industrie and various other international outlets.

Based in Germany and the USA, Jens Meiners contributes to Auto-Medienportal, GTspirit, The Autopian, Car Design News, Autoblog, Focus, Automobil Industrie and various other international outlets. He is co-founder of Car Design Events (CDE).

He has covered the automotive industry since 1996 and began his career as editor of the buyer's guide Autosalon. He subsequently was Managing Editor of Automotive Business International and staff reporter for Automotive News Europe; in 2010, he co-founded an automotive news agency. He has served on the World Car Awards Steering Committee for over a decade and he co-initiated the German GCOTY and the Chinese C-COTY program.

Meiners splits his time between New York City and Bavaria. He keeps an eclectic car collection.

Editor-in-Chief of Cars.com

Jenni brings more than 25 years of journalism experience — including over 15 years in the automotive space — and currently leads the editorial team at Cars.com. A trusted voice in the industry, she’s passionate about helping car shoppers cut through the noise to find the right vehicle for their needs, lifestyle and budget. Jenni is a go-to expert on everything from affordability and the impact of tariffs on car prices to broader industry trends and real-time shopper behavior. She knows how consumers shop, what they care about, and what they need to know before setting foot in a dealership — and she’s not afraid to tell it like it is.

Jennifer spent more than a decade in the newspaper industry including the Boston Herald and Chicago Sun-Times before coming to Cars.com in 2008.

Editor-in-Chief, Acko Drive Former Editor-in-Chief, carandbike; and Editor-Auto, NDTV Group

Siddharth is one of the most well-known faces of Indian journalism. He has set up a new media entity for content at Acko Tech - a technology company in India. The first vertical is Acko Drive which focuses on cars, bikes, tech, through text and video formats. This new content division at Acko Tech, sees the Acko Drive channel focus on bringing consumers content relevant to them from the automobile industry.

Siddharth began his career as a news journalist and features producer at the prolific NDTV network. He spent many years reporting from the field from around the world, and also was one of the country's top primetime news anchors for several years.

As the anchor and editor of the country's most watched and longest running automobile based programme - The Car and Bike Show, on the NDTV network. Siddharth popularised the concept, and has since helped evolve a new niche of auto-based viewing and programming for Indian television and Internet. He is a well-respected name, not just as an automobile journalist, but also as a former financial correspondent who specialises in the automobile industry.

He also conceived and began the annual carandbike Awards, and now subsequently the Acko Drive Awards, which hold the reputation of being the most non-controversial and sought-after awards for the Indian auto industry. In 2014 Siddharth helped create the digital automobile entity carandbike which now commands a massive traffic of 22 million visitors per month, and leads all digital automobile media in India on content.

He routinely travels to all parts of the world to test new cars, and cover the latest in automobile design & technology. When he gets the time, he loves to cook, and try new food! Siddharth holds a Master of Science degree in Communication Studies from the prestigious Pune University. He has also studied in Australia and the United States.

He has represented India on the World Car jury since 2011 and has served as a Director - the first Asian to hold the post - since 2014. He is also now the first Asian to be Vice Chair (2021-23), then Chair (2024-present day).

Director on hablamosautos.com, Editor in Chief Autos & Toys - El Financiero, collaborator Sobre Ruedas - Reporte Índigo

Car journalist by passion, industrial designer by profession, Carlos began his automotive career in Mexico writing and translating for Automóvil Panamericano, part of one of the world's largest automotive editorials, Motorpresse, based in Stuttgart.

After five years specializing in publications and automotive communications, he migrated to corporate communication at Mastretta Cars, the first company to develop and manufacture a 100% Mexican sports car, the Mastretta MXT. He developed the communication strategy, events, marketing, advertising and media program.

From 2012 to 2018 he worked as editorial manager for Autoexplora, the most recognized cars and lifestyle magazine in Mexico, responsible for the redesign, content structure, test drives managing, and editing. Since 2019 he edits Autos & Toys for El Financiero newspaper, writing about cars, motorcycles, technology and transportation gadgets.

For over 20 years Carlos has written hundreds of test drives and research articles for magazines, web, radio, TV and books, some of them published on magazine covers in several countries. Carlos drives an average of 150 new cars every year.