KAY STEPPER

Chosen because: In leading Bosch's approach to self-driving cars, Kay Stepper, 47, has adopted an incremental strategy to ensure consumer acceptance. With a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the Technical University of Berlin, Stepper has been working on automation at Bosch since 1996. In his current role, Stepper is responsible for product development of advanced driver assistance technologies. While many in the industry have predicted widespread adoption of this technology within the next decade, Stepper has been outspoken about the need to consider the conservative tastes and opinions of mass-market consumers.

Quote: "It has to be an evolution, a step-by-step introduction of these technologies. Consumer acceptance of these features takes time."