DETROIT — The Detroit Regional Chamber’s MICHauto program today announced that Ralph Gilles, who serves as president and CEO, Motorsports and senior vice president, product design, for Chrysler Group LLC, will deliver a keynote address at the 2014 MICHauto Summit in Sept. 23 at COBO Center in Detroit.
The second annual statewide Summit has the theme of Michigan’s Automotive Industry: Concept to Consumer, and will explore the new era of Michigan innovation and the blueprint it sets for the rest of the global automotive industry.
“Few are positioned like Ralph Gilles to shed light on the depth of engineering and cutting-edge design that go into today’s automobile,” said Glenn Stevens, vice president of MICHauto and strategic development for the Detroit Regional Chamber. “Building on his work in helping to reinvent a classic American brand at Chrysler, Gilles continues to develop vehicles whose design and performance are equally impressive.”
Gilles was appointed president and CEO of Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC in June 2011. He continues to lead the company’s product design office as senior vice president, a position he was named to in June 2009. He has also served as president and CEO of SRT Brand and president and CEO of Dodge brand.
Since first joining the former Chrysler Corporation in 1992 as a designer, Gilles has put his extensive academic background in industrial design and business administration to use, holding various positions within the company. Gilles holds a Master of Business Administration from Michigan State University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.
Last year’s inaugural Summit, brought together nearly 500 leaders from industry, academia and government at the then-newly renovated COBO Center last September. The first-of-its-kind event focused solely on the entire industry supply chain showcasing Michigan as the global epicenter of the automotive industry.
