2024 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:

	SIDDHARTH VINAYAK PATANKAR  Chair, 2024 World Car Awards INDIA
	Chair, World Car Awards Editor-in-Chief, Acko Drive Former Editor-in-Chief, carandbike; and Consulting Editor-Auto, NDTV Group
	Siddharth is one of the most well-known faces on Indian television, 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. 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, which in its 16th year now, has fast gained 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 has now begun setting up a new media entity for automobile content called Acko Drive which focuses on cars, bikes, tech, and will do so through text and video formats. 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, then Chair.
	SCOTTY REISS  Vice-Chair, 2024 World Car Awards 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
	CARLOS SANDOVAL  Director, 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 18 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.
	RICHARD AUCOCK  Director, Steering Committee ENGLAND
	Director, Motoring Research. Vice Chair, Guild of Motoring Writers
	Richard is Director at Motoring Research, a multi-format editorial agency servicing clients such as Microsoft, City A.M. and the RAC. He joined in 2001 and has seen the business grow to now publish content in more than 40 markets. Richard studied Mechanical Engineering at University but always had one eye on being a motoring writer, particularly after winning the Guild of Motoring Writers' Sir William Lyons breakthrough award in 1998. Scooping this helped him grab his first major writing job, as a club reporter for Autosport magazine. Joining the Guild Committee in 2006, Richard served as Chairman from 2012-2014 before returning to the Chair in 2018-2023. He is now Vice Chair. He's also won several Guild Awards over the years, including the Young Writer of the Year trophy in 2005. He is the 2023 Newspress Automotive Business Journalist of the Year. Richard races cars, runs half-marathons, rides motorcycles, buys old cars and enjoys riding long-distance cycling events. He remains fascinated by and committed to both the automotive and publishing industries.
	CHRISTIAN BRINKMANN  Director, 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.
	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.
	GERRY MALLOY  President, World Car Awards CANADA
	Contributor: Autofile.ca, Canadian auto dealer magazine
	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 Car and Driver, Automotive News, Welt, Automobile Industrie, Car Design News, China Auto Pictorial and various other outlets
	Based in Germany and the USA, Jens Meiners works as editor-in-chief of auto-medienportal.net, contributes to Car and Driver, Focus, Automobil Industrie, Car Design News 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.
	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.
ADVISORS
	BERND CONRAD  GERMANY
	Editor-in-Chief at AUTONOTIZEN Freelance Journalist for Auto Motor und Sport and other media.
	Bernd Conrad is the founder of German online media outlet AUTONOTIZEN. The website went online back in 2015. It covers news on cars and automotive related content as well as test drives of the latest models. Part of the AUTONOTIZEN brand is also a YouTube channel that features in-depth car reviews. In addition, Bernd also contributes editorial content to reputed media such as “auto motor und sport" and others, including video reviews. Being asked about his favourite car, the answer always is: “The next one I can test drive." Bernd is based in Munich, Germany.
	RENUKA KIRPALANI  INDIA
	Executive Editor Video content - Auto - Haymarket India Editor - Autocarshow - Times Network Auto correspondent - Sindhian, 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.
	NICOLE WAKELIN  UNITED STATES
	Contributor: Autobytel, TrueCar, Car Talk, AAA, Sports Car Market, and numerous other publications. Co-Host: Wheel Bearings Podcast, Road Reflected Podcast
	Nicole is a freelance automotive journalist with over a decade of experience in the industry covering news and reviewing a wide range of vehicles. Her work has appeared in multiple publications in print and online including the Boston Globe, Newsweek, CarGurus, and US News and World Report. In addition to written coverage of the industry, Nicole speaks to all things automotive at conferences, on the radio, and on several podcasts. She is currently co-host of the Wheel Bearings Podcast and Road Reflected Podcast. Nicole is also a juror for North American Car, Utility, and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) and currently serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors.