2026 World Car Awards Administration

The World Car Awards are administered by a not-for-profit association under the guidance of a Steering Committee as follows:

	RYAN BLAIR  Director of Operations, World Car Awards CANADA
	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. 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. For over 15 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.
	CHRISTIAN BRINKMANN  2026 Steering Committee Member GERMANY
	Founder and EIC: Speed Heads
	Christian Brinkmann founded Speed Heads in 2003, one of Germany's first automotive online magazines. Since that time Brinkmann has been covering with his team the automotive industry and has been engaged in countless road tests. He is a well respected motoring journalist and interviewed notable industry leaders. He also received recognition for his car reviews on YouTube.
	STEVE FOWLER  2026 Steering Committee Member ENGLAND
	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.
	GABRIEL GELINAS  2026 Steering Committee Member CANADA
	Broadcaster - "Salut Bonjour" - TVA network; contributor: www.guideautoweb.com, Le Guide de l'Auto,
	Automotive journalist at Le Guide de l'Auto, a yearly 740-page book and website at guideautoweb.com Automotive journalist for the "Le Guide de l’Auto” television program broadcast on the TVA network in Canada. Gabriel Gelinas is also a frequent contributor to the TVA and LCN television networks on automotive matters. Gabriel Gelinas is a former race car driver and former Chief Instructor of the Jim Russell Racing School in Canada. He became a full-time automotive journalist in 1991, hosting television series on cars on various networks. He has also headed the Moto Journal motorcycle magazine in Canada as Chief Editor for many years. Gabriel Gelinas has extensive experience testing high-performance cars, as well as racing cars, on tracks around the world.
	JENS MEINERS  Chair Emeritus, World Car Awards GERMANY
	Based in Germany and the USA, Meiners contributes to Auto-Medienportal, GTspirit, Car and Driver, Car Design News, Focus, Automobil Industrie and various other international outlets
	Based in Germany and the USA, Jens Meiners contributes to Auto-Medienportal, GTspirit, Car and Driver, Car Design News, Autoblog, Focus, Automobil Industrie and various other international outlets. 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.
	JENNIFER NEWMAN  2026 Steering Committee Member UNITED STATES
	Editor-in-Chief of Cars.com
	As editor-in-chief, Jennifer Newman leads Cars.com's editorial department in their mission to help car shoppers find the vehicle that best fits their lifestyle. Jennifer has served as Cars.com family-car expert for more than a decade. A certified child passenger safety technician since 2010, Jennifer created Cars.com's Car Seat Check series and each year delivers the Car Seat Check Honor Roll to help parents and caretakers determine which vehicles will best fit cars seats. She's been featured in numerous media outlets including Good Morning America, Business Insider, USA Today, People.com and Martha Stewart magazine. 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. Jennifer is on the board of Midwest Automotive Media Association.
	SIDDHARTH VINAYAK PATANKAR  2026 Steering Committee Member INDIA
	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).
	CARLOS SANDOVAL  2026 Steering Committee Member MEXICO
	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.