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TITLE: Senior Vice President Connected Company Development 
COMPANY: BMW Group
AGE: 52
BASED: Munich, Germany 
NATIONALITY: German

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

With a diploma from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Stephan Durach started his career at BMW Group in 1998. He became a manager in body electronics in 2001, then worked in strategic programs and in 2003 became manager of human-machine interface (HMI) projects. He moved to Silicon Valley in 2008 as head of BMW Technology Office there. Durach returned to Munich in 2011 as head of entertainment and mobile devices. In 2017 he was named senior vice president purchasing and QMP, and in 2020 he was named to his current post.

REASONS FOR WINNING

Connectivity is one of the megatrends that is reshaping the automotive industry, and BMW has been an innovator in this area. The premium brand’s goal, says Durach: "We want to deliver the information you need at the right time to give you the perfect experience.”

Among BMW’s connectivity initiatives under Durach are the i Vision Dee concept, with a head-up display technology that projects information across the windshield; augmented reality for route navigation and driving assistance; and a partnership to make games playable directly through infotainment displays, with smartphones acting as controllers and games delivered over the air. Other initiatives include deeper integration with Amazon Alexa voice assistant to improve functionality, and, potentially, a satellite-based internet service.