LaSorda is a co-founder of the venture capital fund – Stage 2 Innovations and Chairman of the Board’s Strategy Council. Within his 30+ year global automotive industry career, Mr. LaSorda served in several executive positions including CEO, President and Vice Chairman of Chrysler Group where he also played an integral role in the sale of Chrysler to the Fiat Group. Prior to his service with Chrysler, Mr. LaSorda held a number of executive positions at General Motors spanning a 23 year career. He is a member of the Board of AGCO a USA based agricultural company and a member of the Board of Electrovaya, a Canadian based battery manufacturing company.

Jack Hollis is vice president of Scion, a new line of vehicles from Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. He is responsible for all Scion activities.

Scion, aimed at trend-setting younger buyers, is the first new brand from Toyota since the debut of Lexus in 1989. Unveiled by TMS in March 2002, Scion’s line of vehicles is aimed at a new generation of consumers who actively seek out the latest trends in style and innovation. Some of the innovations include marketing techniques, new approaches to product styling, versatility, and the sales process.

Jeff Holland is the director of Public Relations and Social Media for Suzuki Motor Corporation. He is responsible for the company’s corporate, product and media relations, dealer communications, government affairs and diversity communications. He supervises a staff to develop and execute public relations and social media projects and programs, marketing event support, and advertising programs to raise awareness in the North American market.

Holland becomes the public image for Suzuki as he pitches interviews and story ideas to national media outlets, holds press conferences, and oversees public service campaign creation, distribution and tracking.  Holland also  creates design brief and write content for all marketing materials including website, corporate presentations, videos, and press releases.

Holland serves as the official company spokesperson and his work has paid dividends. He has grown Suzuki automotive product awareness on average by 50% in the US to reach 200 million impressions, generating publicity valued at $2 million as measured by advertising equivalency.

Michael Sprague is vice president, marketing & communications for Kia Motors America (KMA). He joined KMA in August 2008.

Sprague directs and manages all aspects of the marketing department including brand marketing, advertising, retail marketing, sponsorships, CRM, product planning and public relations.

Most recently, Sprague served as group marketing manager for Ford Motor Company’s Lincoln Mercury division. Prior to that he was corporate brand strategy manager in Ford’s Chief Marketing Office in Detroit where he led the development of the global brand architecture for Ford Motor Company. Additional key positions Sprague held at Ford include: cross brand strategy manager; cross brand product marketing manager; advanced product strategy manager, Mercury; regional marketing manager, Lincoln Mercury; and other field assignments in sales and marketing. Sprague also served as general manager, global brand marketing for Mazda Motor Corporation in Japan. Prior to entering the automotive industry, he was managing director for Arthur Andersen & Co. where he established its first office in Romania.

Michael Sprague has been featured in renowned publications such as Forbes, BusinessWeek,  and featured in the  Microsoft Spotlight Series for his innovative work in transforming the Kia brand.

Chris Martin
Sr. PR Administrator
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

Chris Martin has been with American Honda Motor Company for the past 20 years. His experience at Honda includes working in Parts, Service and Automotive Operations divisions, prior to his present role in PR. He is also involved in outreach to Honda enthusiast groups and events to help build and promote brand engagement at the grass roots level. Chris has been involved with Honda product launches since 2005 and is a primary spokesperson for the Western United States.

Mary Nickerson is the national manager for Advance Technology Vehicles for Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A. Inc. She is responsible for leading, developing, coordinating and executing a market-preparedness strategy for the launch of plug-in hybrid, battery- electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.