Aicha S. Evans is CEO of self-driving car company Zoox
African Diaspora
Aicha Evans
CEO
Zoox
Aicha S. Evans is CEO of self-driving car company Zoox. Evans was formerly senior vice president and chief strategy officer at Intel Corporation. She was responsible for driving Intel’s long-term strategy to transform from a PC-centric company to a data-centric company, as well as leading rapid decision making and company-wide execution of the strategy. Previously Evans was general manager of the Communication and Devices Group, responsible for driving wireless engineering for multi-comm products and Intel platforms, including modems, RF, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, FM, LTE, WLAN/WWAN as well as emerging wireless technologies such as 5G. Evans joined Intel in 2006 as a software integration and test manager. She held a number of management positions responsible for Intel’s wireless efforts including software engineering and support for customers deploying WiMAX networks in multiple geographies. Additionally, she worked in Israel managing WiFi engineering and product lines. Prior to Intel, Evans spent 10 years in various engineering management positions at Rockwell Semiconductors, Conexant and Skyworks. She was appointed to the Anita Borg Institute board of trustees in 2016 and to the supervisory board of SAP in 2017. Evans holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from The George Washington University.
Aichatou Sar Evans (born 1969), known professionally as Aicha Evans, is an American chief executive officer of Amazon's self-driving car subsidiary Zoox. In June 2020, Evans led the acquisition of her company by Amazon for US$1.3 billion.
Aicha Evans
Evans (2019)
Born
1969 (age 54–55)
Senegal
Education
The George Washington University
Occupation
CEO of Zoox
Early life and education
Evans was born in Senegal and spent her childhood in Paris. After immigrating to the United States, she studied at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where she received a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering in 1996.
Career
Evans has held engineering management positions at companies including Rockwell Semiconductor, Conexant, and Skyworks Solutions.
Evans joined Intel in 2006, and spent 12 years with the firm, specializing in leading wireless engineering projects utilizing technologies like Bluetooth, Wireless LAN, XMM register, and 5G. In 2013, Evans assumed leadership of a communications and devices division with more than 7,000 employees. In 2017, Evans was promoted to Chief Strategy Officer. In a Federal Trade Commission case against Qualcomm, Evans served as a witness alleging unfair business practices and potential anti-trust violations.
Zoox Self-Driving Car
In February 2019, Evans joined Zoox as its new CEO. In doing so, she became the first Senegalese-American female CEO of an autonomous vehicle technology company. In June 2020, Evans led the acquisition of her company by Amazon for US$1.3 billion. A Forbes analysis suggests that Evans' decision to pursue aggressive patent coverage in the mobility space led to Amazon's interest. Evans will continue to manage the company as a stand-alone business post-acquisition.
Volunteer and community work
Evans serves as a trustee for the Anita Borg Institute for Women & Technology. She was a co-signatory of an open letter written by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group addressing racial intolerance of Chinese Americans in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Honors and awards
2019: Named to Business Insider's list of 100 People Transforming Business in the transportation category
George Washington University Engineering Hall of Fame
Evans was selected for the inaugural 2021 Forbes 50 Over 50; made up of entrepreneurs, leaders, scientists and creators who are over the age of 50.
Source: Wikipedia