Lakshmi Thanayankizil

Product Leader - Connectivity at General Motors

Speaker

Dr. Lakshmi Thanayankizil leads Connectivity Technology Management at General Motors, leading product and technology strategy for vehicle connectivity, including infotainment and telematics. Her team defines the roadmap and delivers platform solutions that enable secure, reliable connected vehicle experiences globally.

She holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and previously worked at IBM Research and as founder of a startup awarded U.S. Department of Transportation (Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership) projects in vehicular connectivity. Dr. Thanayankizil is a former Vice‑Chair of the Wi‑Fi Alliance Automotive Task Group, has engaged regulators in the U.S., U.K., and Canada on connectivity policy, and is an active advocate for women in engineering through SWE, IEEE WIE, and IEEE/ACM N2Women. She holds more than 70 patents/ROIs, has authored one book and over 20 technical publications, received multiple honors including SWE Rising Women Leader and an NSF ADVANCE fellowship, and serves on technical program committees for major IEEE and ACM conferences.