2025 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  Director, 2025 WCA Steering Committee 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  Director, 2025 WCA Steering Committee ENGLAND
	Automotive editor and consultant
	Steve Fowler is editor-in-chief of Auto Express and also editorial director of Autovia with editorial responsibility for Auto Express, Carbuyer, DrivingElectric, Car Throttle, evo, Octane and Buyacar. Steve spent 11 years as editor of Haymarket’s What Car? and has also edited Autocar and What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision – he’s the only person to have edited three of the UK’s biggest automotive titles. He’s also contributed to a wide range of publications from The Guardian to BA High Life magazine. Steve has been writing about cars for nearly 30 years, training as a journalist after dropping out of drama school. As well as writing for car enthusiasts, buyers and owners about the latest car news, technology, buying, selling and running cars, Steve is used as a resident ‘car guru’ on BBC Radio Five Live and BBC Radio Four’s You and Yours. He’s often used as a motoring pundit on BBC TV, ITV and Sky News, and on national and local radio. Steve also presented regional motoring show ‘Mad About Motors’ for ITV. He has also worked at government level, helping to launch the Act on CO2 campaign, and he was the only journalist invited to give evidence at the Competition Commission’s open hearing into new car sales and supply. He is also a World Car of the Year juror.
	GABRIEL GELINAS  Director, 2025 WCA Steering Committee 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.
	GERRY MALLOY  President, World Car Awards CANADA
	Contributor:
	Gerry Malloy has been an automotive journalist for more than 30 years. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and, before turning to journalism, spent more than 20 years as an automotive test-and-development engineer, both within a major automaker and as proprietor of an independent engineering business whose clientele comprised most of the world’s major automakers. He is a three-time winner of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada’s (AJAC) Automotive Journalist of the Year award, and the recipient of multiple other awards for automotive writing.
	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, Autoblog, 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 Northern Bavaria and New York City. His collection of cars includes several prototypes and sports cars.
	SIDDHARTH VINAYAK PATANKAR  Director, 2025 WCA Steering Committee 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).
	SCOTTY REISS  Director, 2025 WCA Steering Committee UNITED STATES
	Founder, of A Girls Guide to Cars; Parents.com; Forbes Wheels; PureWow
	A career journalist and content development expert, Scotty began as a news reporter and has written for The New York Times, PureWow, Town & Country, Entrepreneur, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan and Adweek, among others. She entered automotive journalism in 2013 with the mission of empowering women as buyers, owners and drivers of cars. A Girls Guide to Cars is the no. 1 automotive site for women, with content presented in women's terms and reaching more than 2 million consumers a month. Scotty is a board member of the International Motor Press Association and Women in Automotive, a member of the Texas Auto Writers Association and a World Car Awards juror and Steering Committee Director. Twitter: @ScottyReiss, @girlsguide2cars Instagram: @ScottyReiss, @agirlsguide2cars Facebook/agirlsguidetocars Linkedin @ScottyReiss, @AGirlsGuidetoCars
	BETH RHIND  Co-founder and Executive Director, World Car Awards CANADA
	Beth Rhind enjoys a career focused on public/media relations and event management. Ms Rhind was the media director at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto for 18 years. In addition to her media duties, she also organized an annual World Design Forum for six years featuring some of the industry's top designers (Anne Asensio, Chris Bangle, Moray Callum, Ralph Gilles, Peter Horbury, Tom Matano, Ken Okuyama, Shiro Nakamura and Adrian van Hooydonk to name a few). In addition, the annual "World Automotive Design Competition," which she created and organized, was a show highlight for five years. The competition is responsible for launching the careers of many young aspiring automotive designers. Judges were Robert Cumberford, Paul Deutschman, Akira Fujimoto, Ken Gross, Peter Horbury and Tom Matano. Over the same period, she was also the manager of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) including all its related events and activities for 24 years.
	CARLOS SANDOVAL  Director, 2025 WCA Steering Committee 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.
ADVISORS
	RENUKA KIRPALANI  INDIA
	Consulting Editor - Auto - Haymarket India Editor - Autocarshow - Times Network Contributing Editor Auto Mashable India & ME , Auto contributor - Mint Lounge
	Renuka Kirpalani has been a known face in the Indian automotive world for a long time. She grew up helping her father build racing cars and restore vintage and classics. Renuka has also raced and rallied herself collecting many trophies along the way, until she gave up competing when she had her first child. Today she is the Editor and Anchor of the most watched automobile show on Indian television that runs on the Times Network. She is also the head of all automotive video content for the Haymarket Group in India and has made the Autocar India the most popular Indian automobile channel on Youtube. Renuka has a large fan base amongst auto enthusiasts as can be seen by her substantial following on social media.