Globalizing Mobility (wsg Marcus Heitmann)
01/08/20 • 63 min
During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Marcus Heitmann, General Manager and Vice President Digitalization & Connected Car, SAIC Volkswagen. Marcus is a global expert in connected automotive and mobility and is one of the few people who have spent time on both the ‘internet’ and ‘things’ sides of the IoT business. Marcus is a global IT expert and speaks to the similarities and differences of connected industries across the globe. And, of course, he speaks about his Top 3 – ranging from outside of industry experts who have helped him to think different, to seasoned company executives who teach him how to navigate strategies to increase transformation success, to close family members who keep his feet planted while his brain may be up in the sky. And you have to hear what Marcus has to say about competing in the Chinese market.
About Marcus HeitmannDr. Marcus Heitmann is General Manager for Digitalization and Connected Car at SAIC Volkswagen in China, responsible for the brands Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen. Previously he was responsible for VW’s connected car program worldwide since 2012, supporting in various management positions the digitalization and transformation of the company enabling it to become an excellent service provider. Prior to that he was Director Innovation and Business Development at Deutsche Telekom Laboratories in Berlin and the Silicon Valley for the topics Automotive, Machine-to-Machine Communication (M2M) and Smart Grid. He has been an entrepreneur and founder of an IT security company and received his PhD in economics on the topic of IT security. Marcus combines digitalization, new business models, telematics, IT and IT security through +20 years of professional experience and has a strong record of combining engineering and business expertise with customer and product orientation.
Show HighlightsSegment 1: Overview
1:09 IoT is at the heart of the Connecting World. (Learn more by read Competing in the Connecting World)
3:13 Leaders of the future will have a foot in each camp of IoT.
6:02 Marcus Heitmann: From social sciences and marketing to the leading edge of Connected Vehicle. (Deutsche Telekom. SAIC Volkswagen.)
Segment 2: The “Top Three”
11:00 Marcus’ “Top Three”: Oliver Diener – providing insights on general management and the connect car.
13:38 Defining the mindset people need for an agile organization.
18:12 Marcus’ “Top Three”: Axel Rüb – the importance of analytics, understanding intentions, and navigating the Volkswagen cosmos.
23:06 People management should not be seen as a distraction – it is worth the investment of time.
24:37 Marcus’ “Top Three”: Klaus Heitmann and Ulrike Schneider – the outside-industry perspective and people management.
27:22 A trend: Leaders surround themselves with fantastic people, but also with people who will ground them.
29:27 “If you’re not close with a parent or a spouse [who will be direct and honest], give someone else the license to play that role for you.”
Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation
31:05 To understand the future of the Mobility industry, it is important to look outside the industry.
35:30 CES will give you hints for the future, but are not the future. The people there are more important than the technologies.
36:47 The Chinese Market: Understanding and designing to differences.
39:27 Technology usage in the Chinese market – payment, facial-recognition, and more.
41:40 Is the Chinese market the example of how other markets will adopt technology?
44:40 Transformation of the automotive industry.
47:38 Hint to leaders: “Take half of a day off every month and sit at home with large pieces of paper/whiteboard and think about all the things you have done and what you will do in the next few months.”
50:57 Hint to leaders: “If you’re in digital transformation, always think about what is the reason for this transformation. If you’re answer is profit, you are doing something wrong.”
52:28 The impact of automotive on the future of other industries.
57:04 The integration of mobility and insurance/healthcare.
Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up
59:57 What makes a great leader? “Stepping down from the old, top-down leadership approach.”
1:01:50 Stay in touch with Marcus via LinkedIn.
Additional InformationContact Marcus Heitmann:
- Marcus’
During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Marcus Heitmann, General Manager and Vice President Digitalization & Connected Car, SAIC Volkswagen. Marcus is a global expert in connected automotive and mobility and is one of the few people who have spent time on both the ‘internet’ and ‘things’ sides of the IoT business. Marcus is a global IT expert and speaks to the similarities and differences of connected industries across the globe. And, of course, he speaks about his Top 3 – ranging from outside of industry experts who have helped him to think different, to seasoned company executives who teach him how to navigate strategies to increase transformation success, to close family members who keep his feet planted while his brain may be up in the sky. And you have to hear what Marcus has to say about competing in the Chinese market.
About Marcus HeitmannDr. Marcus Heitmann is General Manager for Digitalization and Connected Car at SAIC Volkswagen in China, responsible for the brands Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen. Previously he was responsible for VW’s connected car program worldwide since 2012, supporting in various management positions the digitalization and transformation of the company enabling it to become an excellent service provider. Prior to that he was Director Innovation and Business Development at Deutsche Telekom Laboratories in Berlin and the Silicon Valley for the topics Automotive, Machine-to-Machine Communication (M2M) and Smart Grid. He has been an entrepreneur and founder of an IT security company and received his PhD in economics on the topic of IT security. Marcus combines digitalization, new business models, telematics, IT and IT security through +20 years of professional experience and has a strong record of combining engineering and business expertise with customer and product orientation.
Show HighlightsSegment 1: Overview
1:09 IoT is at the heart of the Connecting World. (Learn more by read Competing in the Connecting World)
3:13 Leaders of the future will have a foot in each camp of IoT.
6:02 Marcus Heitmann: From social sciences and marketing to the leading edge of Connected Vehicle. (Deutsche Telekom. SAIC Volkswagen.)
Segment 2: The “Top Three”
11:00 Marcus’ “Top Three”: Oliver Diener – providing insights on general management and the connect car.
13:38 Defining the mindset people need for an agile organization.
18:12 Marcus’ “Top Three”: Axel Rüb – the importance of analytics, understanding intentions, and navigating the Volkswagen cosmos.
23:06 People management should not be seen as a distraction – it is worth the investment of time.
24:37 Marcus’ “Top Three”: Klaus Heitmann and Ulrike Schneider – the outside-industry perspective and people management.
27:22 A trend: Leaders surround themselves with fantastic people, but also with people who will ground them.
29:27 “If you’re not close with a parent or a spouse [who will be direct and honest], give someone else the license to play that role for you.”
Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation
31:05 To understand the future of the Mobility industry, it is important to look outside the industry.
35:30 CES will give you hints for the future, but are not the future. The people there are more important than the technologies.
36:47 The Chinese Market: Understanding and designing to differences.
39:27 Technology usage in the Chinese market – payment, facial-recognition, and more.
41:40 Is the Chinese market the example of how other markets will adopt technology?
44:40 Transformation of the automotive industry.
47:38 Hint to leaders: “Take half of a day off every month and sit at home with large pieces of paper/whiteboard and think about all the things you have done and what you will do in the next few months.”
50:57 Hint to leaders: “If you’re in digital transformation, always think about what is the reason for this transformation. If you’re answer is profit, you are doing something wrong.”
52:28 The impact of automotive on the future of other industries.
57:04 The integration of mobility and insurance/healthcare.
Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up
59:57 What makes a great leader? “Stepping down from the old, top-down leadership approach.”
1:01:50 Stay in touch with Marcus via LinkedIn.
Additional InformationContact Marcus Heitmann:
- Marcus’
Previous Episode
Reaching the Tipping Point (Gregg Garrett)
During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, takes a short pause from interviewing guests to reflect on 2019 and the evolution of IoT. Gregg speaks about three main topics: 1) observations from working in IoT and the ever-connecting world, 2) how this year has been a tipping point for the connecting world and the mindset many leaders have as they drive their companies through this disruptive potential, and 3) doubling down on integration and how 2020 will really require some different types of development skills.
Show HighlightsSegment 1: IoT Overview
1:04 The evolving IoT industry. (Kevin Ashton.)
3:32 The past: IoT was mostly driven by technology integrators.
5:04 “I started to see the difficulty of the connected product....it wasn’t only a promise, it was now a cost.”
5:43 The present: Can anything not be ‘connected’?
Segment 2: The Evolving World
10:00 “We’ve reached this tipping point.”
11:21 It is no longer about the connected product; it is now about the connected enabled experience.
12:48 “I believe the number one most importance capability to compete in this ever-connecting world for companies....is the ability to develop connections.”
14:00 A challenge: Build meaningful, business-oriented relationships over points on the journey.
Additional InformationContact Gregg Garrett:
Contact CGS Advisors:
Next Episode
Active and Empathetic Leadership (wsg Alisyn Malek)
During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Alisyn Malek, COO and Co-Founder, May Mobility. Alisyn talks about how her company is helping to define a totally new transportation system and what it is like transitioning from being an engineer to corporate innovator to founder and industry disruptor. Alisyn and Gregg discuss large macro systems and the delicate balance between simplicity and complexity. Of course, Alisyn speaks about her Top 3, a group of strong women who helped her find empathy, bravery, and to reflect on her own future career path. And, you have to hear what she says about “badass women” who support one another.
About Alisyn MalekAlisyn Malek is the COO and Co-Founder of May Mobility, Inc.
May Mobility’s vision is to transform cities through autonomous technology, creating a safer, greener, more accessible world. They have made it their mission to reimagine transportation by developing and deploying autonomous shuttles that get people to their destinations safely and easily. Service has launched in Detroit, Columbus, Ohio, Providence, Road Island as well as Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Alisyn was formerly the head of the innovation pipeline at General Motors. Prior to that role she was an investment manager at GM Ventures. During her tenure there, she led investment in the autonomous space, including the early negotiations with Cruise Automation, helping to cement GM’s autonomous strategy. As an automotive engineer, she led a global team to develop SAE Level 3 charging technology for GM’s Spark and Bolt EV Products. As well as supporting release of electrical components for the first generation Chevy Volt.
Alisyn holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Michigan, Mechanical Engineering and German Language. Malek was recognized as a top ten female innovator to watch by the Smithsonian in 2018, named a top automotive professional under 35 to watch by LinkedIn in 2015 for her work in cutting-edge product development and corporate venture, and identified as a Crain's Detroit 20 in their 20’s awardee for her work in engineering and deployment of advanced charging systems..
Show HighlightsSegment 1: Overview
1:00 Thinking through macros systems – societal/industrial systems, organization systems, and the leadership system.
3:18 Over the next decade – there will be less and less independent systems (with examples).
10:16 Alisyn Malek – May Mobility. Corktown Studios. And more. (General Motors)
Segment 2: The “Top Three”
12:23 Alisyn’s ‘Top Three’ – Alyssa Jernigan – A clear dialogue. Seeing the blind spots.
14:44 Alisyn’s ‘Top Three’ – Vanessa Miller – Surround yourself with people who have different skills than you. Creating empathy.
18:20 Alisyn’s ‘Top Three’ – Elaina Farnsworth – A source of experience and guidance.
Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation
22:58 May Mobility – founded to solve a unique challenge facing the world today; an imbalance in access to mobility within the backdrop of increasingly congested cities and towns.
23:50 Look at global mobility marketplace and how they use ACES (autonomous, connected, electric, shared) vehicles.
28:04 Expanding May Mobility to the global market. (Toyota Motor Company.)
30:43 “The last mile is hard. That is a lot of what we are doing today.”
34:27 Being a leader in a growing organization: you have to be thoughtful to keep everyone growing in the same direction.
39:38 Creating a startup in Southeast Michigan and growing it for sustainability.
Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up
44:14 How do you accomplish everything at the same time? “Learning to forgive myself.”
47:59 “People don’t actually like women who are direct.” – being a woman leader in the automotive space.
49:11 Special advice for women: For any perceived minority...”Don’t take no as the first answer. And sometimes you just have to brush it off.”
51:32 Detroit Badass Ladies – There are a lot of bad ass ladies in this city and we need more excuses to get together and elevate ourselves to new levels of bad assery.
56:01 Advice for leaders: Actively listen. Depersonalize things.
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/you-me-and-your-top-three-178822/globalizing-mobility-wsg-marcus-heitmann-15451909"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to globalizing mobility (wsg marcus heitmann) on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy