Our Story. 

​Women in Autonomy was borne out of the women at AEye, who — in talking about the lack of gender diversity in the automotive and autotech industries — decided the best way to address the problem is to be part of the solution.

Women at all levels are under-represented in these sectors: they make up just 8% of top execs in the top 20 motor vehicles and parts companies, and 16% of all workers in the automotive industry. Yet, 56% of C-suite leaders in the global automotive industry point to women as a critical pool of underutilized talent.
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Over the years, the Women in Autonomy community has expanded to include women at the forefront of autonomous technology development and implementation in other industries, such as robotics, trucking, logistics, smart cities, and more. As we grow, our mission remains the same: to help close the executive gender gap by raising up female leaders, spotlighting women innovators, and building community to ensure female voices are better heard and represented.

Our Founder. 

Indu Vijayan.
Head of Product Management
AEye

​Indu Vijayan is a specialist in systems, software, algorithms and perception for self driving cars. As AEye's Head of Product Management, she works hand-in-hand with the company’s business and technical side to envision product roadmap and bring products to life. Indu also collaborates with Tier 1s to ensure AEye’s ADAS components are developed on time and meet stringent automotive requirements. Prior to AEye, she spent five years at Delphi/Aptiv, where, as a Senior Software Engineer on the Autonomous Driving team, she played a major role in bridging ADAS sensors and algorithms, and extending them for mobility. She holds a BS in Technology in Computer Science from India's Amrita University, and an MS in Computer Engineering from Stony Brook University. 

Our Steering Committee. 

​Katie Burke is NVIDIA’s Automotive Content Marketing Manager, communicating solutions to building a faster, safer and more efficient transportation ecosystem. A former journalist at publications such as Automotive News and MarketWatch, she joined the NVIDIA team in 2018. Katie holds a B.A. in public policy from the University of Michigan and lives in San Francisco, where she’s waiting for self-driving cars to seriously upgrade her morning commute.

Katie Burke.
Automotive Content Marketing Manager
NVIDIA

Jennifer Haroon.
Executive in Residence
Greylock Partners

​Jennifer Haroon is Executive in Residence at Greylock Partners, a VC firm that is an early partner to remarkable teams building consumer and enterprise companies that matter. Prior to Greylock, Jennifer was Chief Operating Officer and interim Chief Financial Officer at Nauto, an AI-powered technology company that is making driving safer and smarter. Before Nauto, Jennifer was the Head of Business Operations for Waymo (formerly the Google Self-driving Car Project). She also spent 6 years at Google. She developed and launched CSquared, a wholesale metro fiber optic network business in Sub-Saharan Africa. She also worked on many of Google’s early health-related initiatives including Google Flu Trends and the Flu Vaccine Finder. Prior to Google, Jennifer was a Project Leader at Boston Consulting Group and an Equity Research Associate at Thomas Weisel Partners. She received her B.S. from Duke University and her MBA from US Berkeley's Haas School of Business.

​Manuela Papadopol has devoted her career to advancing automotive technology. In addition to her role as CEO of Designated Driver, she serves as an advisory board member for Automobility LA, pioneering the event’s Top 10 Automotive Startup Competition.

As Co-Founder of Sansea Consulting, she provides guidance to a range of automotive companies and startups. Previously, Manuela led the global marketing effort as Director of Business Development and Communications at Elektrobit. At Microsoft, she served as a Global Marketing Manager, supporting Windows Embedded Automotive, Ford SYNC and other automotive initiatives, and was recognized with the Microsoft Gold Star Award. She also served as Marketing Manager for both Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Manuela has received many industry awards including the Women Worth Watching Award from Diversity Journal and was named a top Woman in IOT Marketing from Connected World. She holds a patent in voice-activated acquisition of non-local content.

Manuela Papadopol.
Chief Executive Officer
Designated Driver