Google's self-driving car affiliate Waymo has hired Deborah Hersman to the new position of chief safety officer and Amee Chande as its first chief commercial officer, the company said on publishing platform Medium.
Hersman, 48, is president of the National Safety Council. She previously served 10 years on the National Transportation Safety Board, including five years as chairman. The NTSB investigates the causes of vehicle, airplane, rail and other accidents and offers recommendations to the Department of Transportation on ways to improve safety.
Hersman will oversee the design and enhancement of Waymo's safety program for field testing and systems, working closely with the company's engineering, product and legal teams
During her four years at the National Safety Council, Hersman helped launch auto safety education campaigns, including the Road to Zero coalition aimed at eliminating highway deaths by 2050, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles-funded Check to Protect to encourage drivers to check for recalls on their vehicles, and MyCarDoesWhat.org to educate the public about vehicle safety technologies.
She will join Waymo in mid-January, according to the NSC and Waymo.
Chande will oversee the introduction of commercial service after public trials of Waymo vehicles in Phoenix are completed. The company has surpassed 10 million miles driven by its autonomous vehicles.
She joins Waymo from Alibaba Group, where she was managing director of global strategy and operations. She has held executive leadership positions at Staples, Tesco and Walmart.
The company said the hires underscore its commitment to safety and signaled another step toward commercialization of its self-driving cars.
"Waymo's technology has the potential to help transform ride-hailing, logistics and delivery, public transportation and personal car ownership," CEO John Krafcik said. "Amee's deep background in developing and scaling global consumer businesses will enable us to realize these incredible opportunities."
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