Dr. Fuquan (Frank) Zhao is a professor/doctoral supervisor at the School of Vehicle and Mobility and the Director of Tsinghua Automotive Strategy Research Institute (TASRI), Tsinghua University, China. He is the Lifetime Honorable President of FISITA, Member of the FISITA Academy of Technical Leadership, Fellow of SAE-International, Fellow of China-SAE, Founding Co-Editors-in-Chief for the English academic journal of Automotive Innovation. He also serves as the Chief Advisor to several local governments and major companies. Dr. Zhao has 18 years of studying and working experience in the overseas auto industry in Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. He had experience of Research Executive of Technical Affairs at DaimlerChrysler, Vice President of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, and Vice President of Shenyang Brilliance JinBei Automobile Company Limited.

Prof. Zhao led the development of nearly 20 vehicles and more than 10 powertrain products, and he owns more than 300 granted patents. As the principal leader, he completed more than 200 strategy and management consulting projects. He has published 16 books in English and Chinese and has written more than 300 technical papers in English, Japanese and Chinese. He received more than 40 significant recognitions including but not limited to the Person of the Year by China Automotive News in 2016 and the Outstanding Auto Industry Talent by the Ceremony for Commemorating the 30 Years and 40 Years of Reform and Opening-Up, and the Best One Hundred Authors at the 70th Anniversary of the China Machine Press. The FISITA Presidential Medal, which was awarded to Prof. Zhao for his particular contribution, has become part of the permanent collections at the Beijing Motor Museum. Prof. Zhaodeveloped a High-End Auto Executive Talk Show Programme in 2014, named Fuquan Zhao Research Institute. Having held 71 talk shows for 8 years, it has become the top-end column in the automotive industry in China. 

Education

March 1992: PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Hiroshima University, Japan

March 1989: Master in Mechanical Engineering, Hiroshima University, Japan

July 1985: Bachelor, Jilin University of Technology, China

Employment

May 2013 - now: Professor of School of Vehicle and Mobility,Tsinghua University; Director of Tsinghua Automotive Strategy Research Institute (TASRI)

November 2006 – April 2013: Vice President of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and President of Geely Automotive Research Institute, Executive Director of Geely Automobile Holdings Limited (Hong Kong), President of Zhejiang Automotive Engineering Institute, Board Chairman of Australia DSI Holdings Pty. Limited (December 2009 – February 2012), Board Director of British Manganese Bronze Holdings Plc (November 2008 – November 2009)

April 2004 – September 2006: Vice President and R&D General Manager of Shenyang Brilliance Jinbei Automobile Co., Ltd., Assistant President of Brilliance Auto Group, Board Director of 5 enterprises (including BMW Brilliance JV Corporation) and also Chairman of the Board of Shanghai Hanfeng Auto Design Company

April 1997 – March 2004: Various Positions at Chrysler and DaimlerChrysler of USA (Product Engineer, Engineering Specialist, Senior Engineering Specialist, and Research Executive of Technical Affairs)

May 1994 – March 1997: Post Doctor and Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Department, Wayne State University, USA

July 1993 – April 1994: Researcher Fellow, Imperial College of Science and Engineering, London, UK

April 1992 – June 1993: Post Doctor of Mechanical Engineering Department, Hiroshima University, Japan

Professional Activities

Honorable Lifetime President of the International Federation of Automotive Engineering Societies (FISITA)

Fellow of FISITA Academy of Technical Leadership

Fellow of SAE International

Vice President & Fellow of China-SAE

Vice President of China Automotive Talents Society (CATS)

Director of the Technical Management Committee of China-SAE, Convener of CTO Summit

Chairman of the Digitalization and Smart Manufacturing Committee of China-SAE

Chairman of the Automotive Technology Expert Committee of China Machine Press

Vice Chairman of the Expert Committee of Energy-Saving and New Energy Vehicle Technology Roadmap

Member of International Technology Advisory Committee (iTAC), China-SAE

Member of the Technology Expert Committee of the National New Energy Vehicle Technology Innovation Center (NEVC)

Member of the Expert Committee of the China Industry Innovation Alliance for the Intelligent and Connected Vehicles (CAICV)

Member of the China Automotive Industry Think-Tank of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers

Member of the Government Think-Tank Expert Committee of the Chinese Automotive Technology & Research Centre (CATARC)

Member of the Expert Committee of “Automotive Think-Tank” of China Automotive News

Advisory Fellow, China Institute for Science and Technology Policy at Tsinghua University (CISTP)

Member of the Academic Committee of the State Key Laboratory of Automotive Safety and Energy, Tsinghua University

Member of the Industrial Transformation Advisory Committee of the Institute of Internet Industry, Tsinghua University

Member of the Strategic Steering Committee of the State Key Laboratory of Automotive Simulation and Control, Jilin University

Member of the Assessment Group of the “Young Top Talents Initiative”

Member of the Assessment Group for the Chang Jiang Scholars Program

Member of the Assessment Group for China Machine Industry Science & Technology Award

Member of the Assessment Group for China-SAE Science and Technology Award

Independent Director of several companies

Chief Strategic Advisor for multiple local government and enterprises

Editorial Board of Scholarly Journals

Founding Co-Editor-in-Chief of Automotive Innovation (English journal of China-SAE) (2017-)

Editorial Board of Journal of Automotive Safety and Energy (2010- )

Editorial Board of Chinese Journal of Automotive Engineering (2010- )

Vice Chairman of Editorial Board of Auto Manufacturing Engineers (2013- )

Editorial Board of China Automotive Industry Yearbook (2017- )

Editorial Board of Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering (2014- )

Editorial Board of the Journal of Sustainable Mobility (2014- )

Research Area

Auto industry development, corporate operation and management, technology development roadmaps, etc

Honors & Awards

Awarded more than 40 personal honors and prizes at industry-wide, provincial and national levels, including but not limited to:

Awarded “Forest R. McFarland Award” by SAE-International in 2001

Selected as “CTO of the Year” and “Strategic Planning CEO of the Year” by China Automotive News successively in 2008 and 2009

Selected as “Outstanding Individual in China Automotive Industry” by “Commemoration of 30 Years of China Reform & Opening” in 2008

Won the Silver Medal of the National Scientific and Technological Progress Award in 2009 for the “Innovative Engineering Construction in Technology Development System” project

Selected as “Innovator of the Year” by the “21st Century Business Herald” in 2011

Selected as “Person of the Year” in the automotive industry by “China Economic Net” in 2011

Won the Gold Medal of China Automotive Industry Science & Technology Award in 2012 for the “Development of Passenger Car Safety Technology” project

Won the Gold Medal of the 19th “National Modernized Corporate Management Innovative Achievements” in 2012 for his project “Knowledge Management System Development for R&D Capability Improvement”

Won the “China Automotive Industry Excellent Returnee Talent Award” by China-SAE in 2013

Won the Silver Medal of China Automotive Industry Science & Technology Award in 2016 for his project “Gap Analysis of China Auto Industry and Strategies to Build a Stronger Auto Industry in China”

Selected as “Person of the Year” in the China Consumer's Car Gala Event by China Automotive News in 2016

Won the first “China Automotive Returnee Achievement Award” by North American Auto Professional Association (NAAP) in 2017

Won the Silver Medal of China Automotive Industry Science & Technology Award in 2018 for the project “Automotive Industry Security Theory Research and Application to Development of Important Industry Policies”

Selected as “Outstanding Individual in China Automotive Industry” in the “Commemoration of 40 Years of China Reform & Opening” in 2018

Won the Silver Medal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of the 8th Outstanding Research Achievement Award in Higher Institution with the Research Report titled “Strategy for Building a Strong Automotive Industry in China”

Selected as the “Author of the Best Ten Books” by the Automotive Branch of the China Machine Press at the 13th Five-Year Plan Period in 2011

The book titled “Zhao Fuquan’s Insights into Auto Industry (Volume IV)” won a seat on the list of excellent books by the China Machine Press for celebrating its 70th anniversary

Selected as the “Top One Hundred Authors” by the China Machine Press for celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2022 (a total of five from the auto branch)

The book titled Automotive Industry Innovation was selected as the “Best Ten Books for the Automotive Industry” by the China Machine Press in 2023 for the “Commemoration of the World Reading Day”

Books

Sixteen books in English and Chinese:

Zhao Fuquan's Insights on the Automotive Industry (Volume V) (in Chinese)

Zhao Fuquan's Insights on the Automotive Industry (Volume IV) (in Chinese)

Zhao Fuquan's Insights on the Automotive Industry (Volume III) (in Chinese)

Zhao Fuquan's Insights on the Automotive Industry (Volume II) (in Chinese)

Zhao Fuquan's Insights on the Automotive Industry (Volume I) (in Chinese)

Automotive Industry Ecosystem Innovation (in Chinese)

Automotive Product Innovation (in Chinese)

Automotive Industry Innovation (in Chinese)

Automotive Technology Innovation (in Chinese)

Chinese Auto Supply Chain Best Practices (in Chinese)

Chinese Auto OEMs Best Practices (in Chinese)

Exploring a Way for a Stronger Auto Industry (in Chinese)

Insights for a Stronger Auto Industry (in Chinese)

Technologies for Near-Zero-Emission Gasoline-Powered Vehicles

Among them, the book entitled Technologies for Near-Zero-Emission Gasoline-Powered Vehicles has been translated into Chinese by Tsinghua University and published by China Machine Press in 2010

Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) Engines

Automotive Gasoline Direct-Injection Engines

Gasoline direct injection engine for motor vehicles

Papers

As a leading author, Prof. Zhao has published more than 300 academic papers in English, Japanese and Chinese on the mainstream periodicals and important academic conferences

Product Developments

Led the development of about 20 vehicle models and over 10 powertrain products

Patents

More than 300 granted patents

Others

Led more than 300 strategic and management consulting projects in recent years

Developed a High-End Auto Executive Talk Show named Fuquan Zhao Research Institute. So far 72 talk shows have been held with industry leaders and corporate top executives

Published industrial reviews of more than 1.5 million words on the mainstream press and media

Delivered more than 200 keynote speeches at major forums

The President's Medal awarded by the FISITA for the special contribution of Professor Zhao to the development of the organization is in the permanent collection of the Beijing Auto Museum