Washington, D.C., Feb. 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Commission on the Future of Mobility (CFM), a project of SAFE and a coalition of business, technology and policy leaders focused on creating opportunities through the sustainable, equitable movement of people and goods around the world, today announced new commissioners and its initial five primary research focus areas.
Mary Nichols Joins Ford’s Jim Farley as Co-chair of CFM, Additional Global Commissioners Appointed
Former chair of the California Air Resources Board (CARB), Mary Nichols, has been named co-chair of CFM. She joins Jim Farley, president and chief executive officer of Ford Motor Company, who assumed his co-chair role in late 2020, replacing Jim Hackett. Both Mary Nichols and Jim Farley are proven leaders at striking the balance between transformational growth and environmental sustainability.
Under Nichols’ leadership at CARB, California pioneered a number of innovative programs to spur clean transportation technologies and cut greenhouse gas emissions. The state achieved its 2020 climate target four years ahead of schedule while at the same time significantly outpacing the U.S. national average for economic growth.
“We have to re-envision the way that we move people and goods across the globe to meet our critical climate and public health needs,” said Mary Nichols, co-chair, the Commission on the Future of Mobility. “CFM is bringing together a global coalition of business, technology and policy leaders that are uniquely positioned to rethink mobility policy in a systemic, interconnected way. Now is exactly the right time to embark upon this effort.”
“The auto industry is at the edge of a profound transformation,” said Jim Farley, president and CEO, Ford Motor Company. “Bringing together diverse perspectives allows us to unlock new opportunities that improve and equalize transportation in our cities and communities while protecting our personal safety and the planet. I want to personally thank my predecessor Jim Hackett for sparking this flame, and I look forward to working with Mary Nichols who has been both a teacher and a leader on our journey to fight climate change and whose expertise will be invaluable as we work to solve these complex issues.”
In addition to Mary Nichols and Jim Farley’s appointments, CFM has added several additional commissioners to its roster. These leaders in global mobility include:
- Bhavish Aggarwal, Chairman and Group CEO of Ola Cabs;
- Jacques Aschenbroich, Chairman and CEO of Valeo, Inc.;
- Jacqueline Hunt, Member of the Allianz SE Board of Management;
- Craig Jasienski, President and CEO at Wallenius Wilhelmsen;
- Carl Pope, Principal at Inside Straight Strategies; and
- Avinash Rugoobur, President of Arrival, LTD.
A full list of current CFM commissioners is available here. Additional quotes from CFM commissioners are available here.
Five Key Focus Areas to Drive Global Mobility Transformation
In its February plenary meeting, CFM commissioners aligned on the following five focus areas to address the global mobility gap:
- Energy Resources: Sustaining the shift towards alternative energy resources, including electrification and hydrogen, to reduce transportation’s impact on climate change.
- Freight: Addressing supply chain fragmentation and the impact of consumer preferences on emissions, technology and access.
- Data Stewardship: Leveraging data thoughtfully to power connected mobility.
- Infrastructure: Replacing legacy infrastructure with new approaches designed for emerging trends and models enabled by technology.
- Passenger Transportation: Evaluating the impact new technologies, business models and approaches to mobility have created for passenger transportation.
CFM will lead select public events that complement and inform the Commission’s work and allow the Commission to grow the audience for its eventual advocacy. Research and advocacy across America, Europe and Asia will be completed on a quarterly basis, with energy resources as CFM’s first focus area.
“Global transportation policy and infrastructure has not kept pace with societal, economic and technological change and this has created a mobility opportunity gap,” said Alisyn Malek, executive director, the Commission on the Future of Mobility. “With our new commissioners in place and an aligned focus, we are in a position to streamline, strengthen and modernize policies to address this gap with an urgent systemic policy focus on issues of energy transition, climate change, health, safety, security and economic opportunity.”
For more information on how to join, contact https://futuremobilitycommission.org/. Follow CFM on Twitter, LinkedIn.
About the Commission on the Future of Mobility
The Commission on the Future of Mobility (CFM) exists to create opportunities through the sustainable, equitable transportation of people and goods. Using research and advocacy, CFM provides new data and methodologies to drive innovative policy for a cleaner environment, enhanced security, economic opportunity, safety and access. A global coalition of business, industry, technology and policy leaders, CFM encourages and harnesses the benefits created by an interconnected transportation system to shape policies that deliver exponential outcomes for consumer safety, global opportunity and infrastructure resiliency. CFM is a project of SAFE, which works to enhance energy security and support economic resurgence and resiliency, by advancing transformative transportation and mobility technologies.
For more information visit, https://futuremobilitycommission.org/