Cruise Welcomes Steve Kenner as Chief Safety Officer to Uphold Safety Standards

Cruise LLC has announced the appointment of Steve Kenner as its new Chief Safety Officer, leveraging his extensive experience from industry leaders such as Kodiak, Aurora, Uber, Ford, and GM to oversee Cruise’s Safety Governance, Systems, and Operations.

Kenner, with a proven track record in various leadership roles in the autonomous vehicle (AV) industry and a background in safety engineering in the automotive sector, will take on the responsibility of supervising Cruise’s safety management systems and operations. He will work closely with the Cruise Board of Directors and report to Cruise President and Chief Administrative Officer Craig Glidden.

Glidden emphasized the company’s ongoing commitment to improving safety performance and establishing trust with regulators and the community, highlighting Kenner’s valuable experience and expertise in contributing to these key priorities.

Mo Elshenawy, President and Chief Technology Officer at Cruise, stressed the pivotal role safety governance plays in ensuring the safe return of Cruise cars to the roads and reiterated the company’s dedication to safety and increased accountability under Kenner’s leadership.

Kenner’s distinguished career, spanning nearly four decades, includes significant roles in engineering and automotive safety at leading U.S. automakers, with his most recent position as VP of Safety at Kodiak focusing on defining the company’s safety strategy and driverless safety case. He also brings in-depth expertise in autonomous vehicle safety standards, safety culture, and regulation from previous leadership roles at Kodiak, Apple, Uber, Locomation, and Aurora.

With an MBA from Stanford University and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Kettering University (formerly General Motors Institute), Kenner is well-prepared to advance Cruise’s dedication to safety and build trust with regulators and the public.

Kenner expressed his commitment to collaborating with regulators and emphasized the shared goal of enhancing road safety and establishing public confidence in the AV industry, underlining his belief in the safety potential of autonomous vehicles and his dedication to realizing that potential safely and responsibly.

The appointment holds personal significance for Kenner, marking a significant milestone in his career as he returns to work for a company closely aligned with GM and its future plans, after starting as an engineer at GM.

Steve Kenner’s addition to Cruise’s leadership team exemplifies the company’s steadfast commitment to elevating safety standards and fostering public trust in the autonomous vehicle industry.