The 2013 Telematics Update Awards: Recap

Andrew

Andrew Tolve

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5th June 2013

Each year, before the Telematics Update Detroit conference gets underway, leading players in the telematics space come together for a night of awards and celebration in Novi, Michigan. It’s a cordial, champagne-in-hand type of affair, although competition is stiff for the 12 awards up for grabs.

This year, the 10th anniversary of the Telematics Update Awards event, more than 350 individual nominations were in the running, and that after Telematics Update’s initial screening.

“We’re not here to award performance, friendships and relationships,” said Precksha Saksena-Sood, managing director of Telematics Update, in her opening remarks. “Instead, we’re here to laud actual innovation, actual success, and recognize actual products, services and solutions that customers have embraced.”

Damon Lavrinc, transportation editor at Wired Magazine, followed Saksena-Sood’s remarks with a short talk about the importance of Silicon Valley for continued telematics innovation. He referenced the hockey great Wayne Gretzky, who famously said, “Don’t skate to where the puck is, skate to where the puck is going to be.”

“Everyone in this room has the opportunity to shape the future of mobility,” Lavrinc said. “You see the future, you see where it’s going to be and how to implement it.”

Thilo Koslowski, vice president and founder of the automotive group at Gartner, took over as Master of Ceremonies from there. “We’re at the point where the car becomes much more than transportation,” he said. “And all of you are a part of that.”
Then he got to the awards.

And the winner is…

The biggest winner of the night had to be WirelessCar, whose managing director, Martin Rosell, was distinguished with the Telematics Leadership Award. He edged out Alexander Kocher of Eloktrobit, Robin Harbage of Towers Watson, Chris Ruff of UIEvolution, and Henry Bzeih of Kia Motors, who were all finalists.

“I’m really proud to stand up here and receive this,” Rosell said. “Thanks to Telematics Update, the judges, and all my colleagues and friends in this industry. I think that’s what we are. We’re building a new business, and we’re stretching out, and there’s room for all of us. There is not room for anyone to leave, not at this stage. We need more people.

"This year at TU Detroit, the number of exhibitors, the number of sponsors, the number of delegates, all have increased. We need that because customers are there waiting for us, and most of us are in the position that we don’t have the capacity to deliver. So let’s do it together.”

WirelessCar also won the Best Telematics Product or Service Launch in an Emerging Market award.

The other multiple award winner of the night was Verizon Telematics, which took home the crystal for Best Aftermarket Device or Solution Award and Best Insurance Telematics Product or Service Launch, the latter of which it shared with State Farm.

“Lewis and Clark proved that you can’t have great solutions without a great partner,” said State Farm's director of telematics services. “We have a great partner in Verizon Telematics.”

The full list of awards went as follows:

For more information about Telematics Update Awards, click here.

For exclusive business analysis and insight about telematics applications, see Industry insight: Telematics and apps. 

For all the latest telematics trends, check out Content & Apps for Automotive Europe 2013 on June 18-19 in Munich, V2V & V2I for Auto Safety USA 2013 on July 9-10 in Novi, MI, Insurance Telematics USA 2013 on September 4-5 in Chicago,Telematics Russia 2013 in September in Moscow, Telematics LATAM 2013 in September in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Telematics Japan 2013 on October 8-10 in Tokyo and Telematics Munich 2013 on November 11-12.

For exclusive telematics business analysis and insight, check out TU’s reports: Telematics Connectivity Strategies Report 2013, The Automotive HMI Report 2013, Insurance Telematics Report 2013 and Fleet & Asset Management Report 2012.