Detroit Regional Partnership Hires Automotive Expert Bernard Swiecki as GEM’s Vice President of Mobility and Research
DETROIT (February 27, 2023) – Today, the Detroit Regional Partnership (DRP) announced it has hired Bernard Swiecki as Vice President of Mobility and Research. Swiecki will oversee industry and research work for the Global Epicenter of Mobility (GEM) as the Detroit Region works to retain and expand its global mobility and automotive leadership through a world-class advanced mobility industry sector.
Bernard Swiecki
“Few people understand the automotive and mobility industry and where it’s headed like Bernard,” said Maureen Donohue Krauss, President and CEO of the DRP. “Building out GEM requires research-based strategies that ensure our region is adapting to the rapid changes being experienced across the entire industry. We’re thrilled to add someone with Bernard’s background and expertise to help guide those efforts.”
In this role, Swiecki will lead automotive and mobility research efforts in support of GEM as it works to enable the Detroit Region’s existing mobility ecosystem to become better connected, smarter, more inclusive, and quickly adapt to change. Consisting of six projects, GEM is an initiative funded by a U.S. Economic Development Administration grant that is designed to create a smart, secure advanced mobility industry cluster that drives equitable and inclusive economic growth in Southeast Michigan.
“We have a mobility ecosystem like no place in the world, and while it has to change, there’s no place more poised to lead the industry into this new mobility era than the Detroit Region,” Swiecki said. “There’s a whole lot of engagement and coordination needed across the industry to ensure mobility companies, workers, and entrepreneurs are all keeping pace, and we’re looking forward to facilitating that collaboration through GEM.”
In addition to spearheading research to guide GEM’s six regional projects, Swiecki will work with the entire industry supply chain from OEMs and suppliers to startups as they collectively adapt to rapid technology and industry changes. He will work with GEM’s Executive Vice President and long-time economic developer Christine Roeder, who the DRP hired in January to lead the grant-funded initiative.
“The automotive and mobility industry is in its greatest time of transition since its birth,” said Roeder. “It couldn’t be a more exciting time to assemble our team and launch GEM to help the Detroit Region benefit from this historic transition and the investment that’s coming with it.”
Swiecki previously served as the Senior Director of Research and Director of the Automotive Communities Partnership (ACP) at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) where he managed analysis of vehicle sales, production, and segmentation data. He has also led trade missions to China, Italy, India, and Russia. Swiecki has written and managed research in a diverse array of automotive fields pertaining to automaker/supplier relationships, electric and alternative powertrain vehicles. He is also a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the Society of Automotive Analysts (SAA).
About the Global Epicenter of Mobility (GEM)
The Global Epicenter of Mobility is a regional initiative led by the Detroit Regional Partnership that is designed to create a smart, secure, sustainable, and inclusive advanced-mobility industry in Southeast Michigan. Comprised of six related projects, GEM helps workers, companies, startups, and economic development agencies adapt to the rapidly changing mobility industry. GEM is funded by a $52.2-million Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded in September 2022. The six co-recipients of the grant are the Detroit Regional Partnership, State of Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, Southeast Michigan Community Alliance, TechTown, and University of Michigan Economic Growth Institute.
About the Detroit Regional Partnership
The Detroit Regional Partnership is a public-private economic development partnership focused on marketing and business attraction for the 11-county Detroit Region. It serves as a convenient single point of contact to all regional resources and works with companies and site selectors to help manage their projects and support their transition into the region. It specializes in helping companies understand and access the competitive advantages of our region – from workforce data to state and local incentives. To learn more, visit:
DetroitRegionalPartnership.com.
###
Media Contact:
Jim Martinez
313-348-0424 (cell)