Mobility, Technology & People ft. Berveleen Mashonga of STEMEVO Mobility

[00:00:00] Michigan made, Iowa inspired, streaming worldwide. Automotive knowledge for the deciders, the drivers, and the dreamers. AutoVision News Radio with Carl Anthony in the Motor City. In 1950, women made up 0.3% of engineering students in the United States, according to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. A 2025 University of Michigan study, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics data,

[00:00:29] found women held about 3% of engineering jobs in the 1970s. By 2023, that had grown to about 16%. Progress indeed, but perhaps more room for improvement. Engineers today are responsible for designing the cars of tomorrow. Everything from powertrains and safety systems to infotainment, lighting, and even the heated seats that make a cold winter morning tolerable. Yet it seems so few of those engineers are women.

[00:00:59] Deloitte surveyed nearly 600 automotive professionals in more than 25 countries for its 2025 study driving diversity and inclusion for women in the automotive industry. In the study, 68% said women are underrepresented in automotive leadership. No respondents said women are overrepresented,

[00:01:19] and some believe advancement toward better representation has stalled or been lost altogether. Only 13% said they saw positive changes over the past two years, while 46% said they saw little or no change at all. In the Deloitte study, some younger professionals also noted that they feel somewhat unprepared for the rapid transformation happening across nearly every level of the automotive industry. A consistent lack of female role models in leadership, persistent

[00:01:49] consistent unconscious bias, inflexible working policies, and a lack of accountability for diversity targets contribute to a sense of stagnation. Write the authors of the Deloitte study, addressing these systemic issues is essential to achieving meaningful and lasting change.

[00:02:05] Beverly Mesh. Beverly Meshangah is an award-winning mobility and automotive technology leader, and a passionate advocate for women in STEM. As an international speaker, engineering strategist, author, and mentor, Beverly is working to address the systemic issues identified by the Deloitte study and other similar surveys.

[00:02:25] Holding a master of engineering degree, Beverly Meshangah has built an international career spanning the United Kingdom, Germany, Europe, the United States, and South Korea. Her professional expertise includes ADAS and autonomous driving applications,

[00:02:40] V2X communication, V2X communication, intelligent in-cabin systems, automotive safety AI, and next-generation transportation solutions. She currently serves as head of global strategy and marketing composites at Almex, where she contributes to international business strategy and advanced materials innovation across the global transportation industry.

[00:03:01] Beverly Meshangah is the founder of STEM Evo Mobility, a platform dedicated to making the future of mobility easier to understand. Built around the pillars of mobility, technology, and people, STEM Evo aims to inspire and mentor the next generation and support organizations in attracting, developing, and retaining the people who will shape the future of transportation.

[00:03:24] As we begin with Beverly Meshangah, she recalls a story from her early years in school, and how a certain experience later shaped her mission to support young women as they pursue their education and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Moving at the speed of mobility, this is Auto Vision News Radio with Carl Anthony in Detroit, Michigan.

[00:03:46] I grew up in the UK. I went to an all-girls school. I always mention this because it's a very important element when it comes to obviously being a woman in automotive, a woman in STEM. During my GCSEs, I remember telling a teacher that I wanted to be an engineer, and she turned around and said I was not smart enough to be an engineer. But one thing that I was so lucky to have were people that are very supportive. These are my parents.

[00:04:13] My dad's also an engineer. I had, you know, my cousin. She's female. She's also an engineer. She was very supportive in this journey, so they really encouraged me, pushed me to pursue my dreams. From there, I went to college, did a BTEC national diploma in engineering and also physics. Then I became part of a formula student, so we used to go to racetracks, and I was the mechanical engineer in this, in the formula student group.

[00:04:37] And somehow, I just fell in love with automotive. I thought I would either work in automotive or motorsport, but somehow I ended up in Germany. I got an opportunity to move to Germany, and that's actually how I became a woman in STEM advocate, because of my experiences moving from an all-girls school, then going to college, being the only woman in the class out of 23 guys, and then being the only girl in the formula student group.

[00:05:03] This kind of was sort of the beginning of my woman in STEM advocacy work as well. So this is where, let's say, a brief background of how I started. Right, right. What did it feel like when that teacher said you weren't smart enough? Yeah. So one of the things that I'm very good, I don't know, I'm very good at learning. I'm a very fast learner. Yeah. And she just was not confident in my abilities to even understand physics or the math side.

[00:05:32] But the most important thing is honestly having that support and seeing my parents advocating for me. My mom's a teacher as well, so she's in the system, and she was just not accepting that, well, she wants to do this. At least let her try. And if it does not work out, then it's okay. You know, she has a whole life ahead of her. Sure, sure. So, yeah. So this was the, I think, sort of like the point where I did not feel great.

[00:05:57] But when my mom, my parents were really advocating for me, I felt confident enough to take on what I wanted to do in life. And when I went to university, I got into a Russell Group Uni, King's College, which is, I think in the US you'd call it Ivy League. The first thing I did was go back to the school and tell her and show her that I did my VTech National Diploma, passed my physics, and now I'm going to Russell Group Uni. What was it like on the motorsport team?

[00:06:26] That sounds like that would have been really cool. It was amazing. We used to go to Brands Hatch and we'd watch all these races. We had our own car and we'd have our own racer and we'd go to the pit stop, meeting other formula students from other universities. And you'd also meet the other drivers. So that was how I also got interest in Formula One, like later on in life. Like it's so interesting to me just knowing about the cars and, you know, understanding the engineering. And that's when I learned there's a program called Finite Elements.

[00:06:54] And so at the time we were using SOLIDWORKS. I don't know what people are using now. I think SOLIDWORKS is still there. And programming. I then got this interest in all these programs, softwares, and I'm very, very good at them. I was always the best in the class. So, yeah, this is kind of like just, you know, everything builds up and everything comes together. And the reason why, though, I decided to kind of not pursue, let's say, doing computing or programming was because I used to stay up late and not sleep.

[00:07:23] If I could not solve, let's say, an issue. Right, yeah. No, I would stay up. So I thought, OK, this cannot be good. But I still do a bit of programming for fun. And now I've sort of taken this interest in AI, just implementing it in different processes, different strategies. And, yeah, making my work easy, really. And it's exciting. From your bio, Bev, with regard to the part about composites, advanced materials, and then automotive technology.

[00:07:52] In this world of ADAS and automated driving, what is the relationship then between material science and, say, the performance and the reliability of automotive sensors? And why is that worth exploring more? You know, my expertise lie in in-cabin and ADAS as well. These are, let's say, the top, top expertise that I have.

[00:08:18] One thing that I never considered when I had not, let's say, joined the material science world was materials. Right. Material science is actually the foundation when it comes to the sensor performance. And it's, I'm going to say, underappreciated. And if you think of sensors, they operate in so many harsh conditions, so many harsh environments, extreme temperatures, vibrations, and electromagnetic interference. And they also need to have long-life services. Right.

[00:08:47] The materials that need to be used, whether they're composites, substrates, coatings, packaging, they directly determine the accuracy, durability, and, let's say, the failure rates. And nowadays, if you see vehicles, they're becoming more automated, if software defines, this means that sensor reliability is non-negotiable. And even if you have the most advanced algorithm, if the sensor drifts, degrades, or fails, then the system fails.

[00:09:13] So exploring, yeah, advanced materials then allows us to improve, let's say, the signal integrity, the lifecycle performance, and reduce, you know, weight reduction. It offers, then the more scalable mobility system. So we need to also consider advanced materials. And as I mentioned, I had never, ever thought of how materials affect technology. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

[00:09:38] And it's funny, Bev, because when you started posting about material science on LinkedIn, I found myself doing the same thing that you did. I would be out on a walk, and then I'd be like, actually, you know what? Material science might be the secret to this whole thing. So I started doing it too. Honestly, even not just cars, vehicles, but every single thing that we have, even the piece of clothing that we're wearing, the tiles in the house. And now it's become interesting to me.

[00:10:06] So I have now this newfound love for chemistry. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Let's talk about AI. You mentioned AI a second ago. We see a lot of AI integration into everyday life, and our vehicles being no exception. The concept of V2X, it isn't exactly new, but its abilities now are perhaps better optimized with AI. So a two-part question here, friend.

[00:10:33] Can you explain what is meant by V2X at a base level? And then what is the relationship then between V2X and AI? Also one of my utmost favorite topics in the automotive industry. So for anyone listening that might not know what it is, it's vehicle to everything. And it's the communication between the vehicle and its environment. And this includes other vehicles, infrastructures, pedestrians, and the cloud.

[00:10:57] And it's essentially about extending the awareness of the vehicle beyond the line of sight and onboard the sensors. And if you want to take AI, I would say AI turns the shared data into intelligence. And V2X provides the context. AI interprets the environment, and it also helps with the decision making.

[00:11:19] And when these two work together, they allow the vehicles to anticipate risk, optimize traffic flow, and also adapt in real time. So without AI, I would say V2X is just data exchange. And without V2X, AI just operates with incomplete information. So the value here, the real value, comes in the convergence of these two. What you're describing about V2X, it only works if everybody's on the same page.

[00:11:49] So that said, who are the stakeholders and who needs to be working together? And then what are the biggest challenges at the moment of really getting everybody together on the same page? It's a huge ecosystem. You have the OEMs, tier ones, telecom providers, infrastructures, regulations, and there's no single player that can do it by themselves. The biggest challenge, there's different challenges, would be aligning and scaling.

[00:12:16] For example, if you think of the standardization, like harmonizing them, business models, data governance, infrastructure investments, who takes responsibility of what, right? The technology is not limiting, but it's more of the coordination. How can we all move together at the same pace? If you, let's say, put all these technologies together, you have AI and then you have V2X. Because V2X, obviously, as I said, it's communication between its environment. This, you know, includes traffic lights.

[00:12:45] So when I say infrastructure, it includes traffic lights, you know, pedestrians, cyclists, and everything. So in theory, yes, it should and will make a safer road. But it definitely will take time because you need the agreements between the different countries. You know, every country's got different legislation. So it's a process, but for sure, I think and I believe that it would make the road safer, especially if you think of autonomous driving as well. Right.

[00:13:12] How do you balance this when there are challenges to deploying autonomous vehicles or even something like a V2X? How do you, as an automotive professional, how do you manage all of that without getting just completely overwhelmed? One thing that I appreciate about the automotive industry is we have consortiums and we have groups where we meet. We have, let's say, weekly meetings on different topics. You have different work packages.

[00:13:41] And the most important thing, as I mentioned, is collaboration. If you meet a hurdle and you realize, OK, this is not working, then you need to go back to the drawing board and you need to try and understand why did it not work? And I do believe that AI will provide some sort of speed when it comes to implementing some of these, let's say, technologies. If I want to bring it back, let's say, a little bit of step back to V2X, I believe that in the first instances,

[00:14:08] we can have an area, maybe an urban area where V2X is activated. And we start, let's say, it started in tiers. We start with the urban areas. Then it can move to small villages. And then eventually integrate it into the whole ecosystem. I believe that this could be a solution. So, yeah. Right. When it comes to AI, how did you get started with it?

[00:14:34] And I guess further to that, what advice would you have for somebody who is maybe learning AI for the first time? So, for me, I make my work easier. So, let's say, if I'm doing research, I also learned how to use and create my own agents. That's how I started, actually. I started by creating my own agents and learning how to prompt effectively. And then I ended up somehow learning how to do programs. Don't even ask me how I ended up there.

[00:15:04] But it's just that interest. You have to have the interest in it. But I would recommend that if you work in, let's say, an automated environment where you've got tasks that are automated, you can start there. It saves you so much time, especially research. You know that I'm also, you know, in strategy. I do research. I look at trends. AI is a really good tool to use to do this research and to kind of put your thoughts together and also provide information that would otherwise take hours.

[00:15:32] When I went to school, for example, I had this discussion with one of my mentees. I was explaining to her that when I went to school, I had to, you know, had this massive engineering book. Right. It was massive. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And I had to read through it. We did not have AI that could summarize this information. Sure. Yeah. And I said to her, you know what? Utilize AI. Use it.

[00:15:57] But don't forget to also kind of switch off and still use your brain to think critically. You don't have to rely on it for thinking and using your imagination. You want to keep that, let's say, that spark in your brain. Otherwise, if you're just using it to check for everything and for its opinions, then you might. I don't think that's the best way. So I would recommend to use it for things you can automate and make your life easier, planning a holiday, things like this.

[00:16:27] And then obviously, if you see that you can use it more and more and you're very much interested, then you can invest in other things, other things, learning how to program it. Or that's just what I would say. Just start with the processes. And yeah. You've received recognition for your work. Europe Tour de Force Award, Leader in Mobility Award, Women in Automotive Advocacy Award. All of this recognition, Beverly, what does it mean for you both personally and professionally?

[00:16:55] I don't want to sound like I'm writing a LinkedIn post. I do feel very honored. Okay. Yeah. Because I do my work to enable the next generation to have more pathways in STEM subjects, for example. I am not doing it to, let's say, to show that I'm doing it, but I do it because it's a passion of mine. Sure. I think when we met a few years ago, I mentioned that, you know, I'm doing mentoring.

[00:17:21] I, you know, help girls all over the world, also in Zimbabwe, you know, to show them that there's different pathways. It's something that also gives me more confidence that I'm on the right way. I'm doing it correctly. It's, as I said, it's very humbling. And professionally, it reinforces that leadership in mobility is not just about technology, but it's also about influence, collaboration, and also advocating for people that may not have, you know, that kind of support.

[00:17:50] I'm also very proud because they also highlight representation. I believe that this matters if we're shaping the future of mobility and really honestly take this responsibility very seriously. Of course. Well, it's not an official award, but I would award you the Auto Vision News Radio Great Friend Award. So I think that you should. I'm looking for watching my certificate, Carl. Yes, yes, I will.

[00:18:20] I'll have one printed out. I'll sign it. I'll make sure it's on nice paper. I'll go to an office store and print it for you. Auto Vision News Radio, the Good Friend Award. So I think you should receive recognition for being such a good friend to me as you have been over the last few years. Thank you. Thank you very much. I appreciate your insights taking time with me. I could keep you here all day, but let's end with this. Let's conclude with this.

[00:18:48] What is the legacy that you would like to leave at the end of your career? You're the first person to ever ask me this question. You know, I would say I'd love to be remembered as somebody who helps to build systems that enable collaboration, inclusivity, and also enable other people to lead. We're all leaders in our own way. We all have something that we're good at, that if we work together, we can come together and build something big. And this is why I do the advocacy work.

[00:19:17] And I do it with people from all different backgrounds, different countries. So for me, my legacy that I hope to leave would be about impact and also helping to elevate people along the way. To learn more about Beverly's work in the automotive industry, including StemEvo Mobility, see the links in the show notes. Auto Vision News Radio is a Detroit Deep Media production available on all major podcast platforms.

[00:19:43] In the Motor City, alongside Beverly Mishanga, I'm Carl Anthony, Auto Vision News Radio.