SafeAI announced that Roger Nielsen, the former Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) president and CEO, has joined its board of directors. Nielsen brings nearly 40 years of experience in the commercial vehicle industry to SafeAI, which retrofits heavy equipment for autonomous applications in mining and construction.
Nielsen spent 35 years at DTNA, including four years as its president and CEO. During his tenure, he was involved in 40 acquisitions, mergers, and divestitures in the automotive industry, including companies that developed buses, telematics, electric vehicles, and autonomous driving systems.
During Nielsen’s time at Daimler, electric and autonomous vehicles began rapidly gaining steam. As CEO, he helped spearhead advancements in Daimler’s autonomous technology to meet rising demand across the trucking industry, including through the acquisition of vehicle automation company Torc Robotics.
Under his leadership, Daimler’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) won Best Transportation Technology at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) for its Level 2 automated driving system. The company went on to become the first to deliver SAE level 2 (partially automated driving features) into series production.
“Roger was at the helm of one of the world’s top automotive companies as the tides began turning toward autonomous vehicles. He quickly recognized the opportunity and dove in headfirst to unlock the benefits of autonomy for the trucking industry,” said Bibhrajit Halder, founder and CEO of SafeAI.
“At Daimler, I had the opportunity to lead a team rethinking a more traditional industry, logistics, through autonomous technology. As a member of SafeAI’s board, I’m fortunate to have that opportunity again,” Nielsen said. “I firmly believe autonomy is the future, and SafeAI will be the company to deliver this future to heavy industry.”
