You may recall back in March of this year, we had Randy Parker of Hyundai Motor America on the CarPro Show. He was an exceptional interview, and now he has won a big award!
Parker is the recipient of the DRIVEN Trailblazer award. DRIVEN: A Tribute to African American Achievement in the Automotive Industry honored the Hyundai Motor America CEO with the award at the 2023 North American International Auto Show in Detroit last week.
Now in its 10th season, Hyundai says DRIVEN has honored some of the auto industry's most outstanding African American men and women for their accomplishments, contributions, and position in our community as a role model.
"It's an honor to receive the Trailblazer Award from DRIVEN," said Randy Parker, CEO, Hyundai Motor America, "I'm proud to lead at a company that encourages future generations to embrace diversity in the automotive industry."
Randy Parker became CEO of Hyundai Motor America last August, assuming responsibility for Hyundai’s commercial automotive operations in the United States. Hyundai says Parker is one of the first African Americans to be CEO of a major automotive company regional market. He reports to José Muñoz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor North America.
If you missed my interview with Randy Parker earlier this year, you can listen to it here:
In 2021, Parker was named to the Automotive News All-Star list and was also recognized by the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2022 in their prestigious list of industry influencers.
Parker was born in Nuremburg, Germany, but considers himself a native of Texas. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Christian University and also completed Executive Management Programs at Harvard and Penn State. If you'd like to read more about him, check out this article from TCU Magazine.
Launched in 2011, DRIVEN is a program of Real Times Media's celebration of African American achievement in the automotive industry. Unveiled each year during the Detroit Auto Show, DRIVEN is a national event which draws professionals from around the country and attracts the "who's who" of automotive executives, civic, business and community leaders who use the publication as an information and reference tool.
Photo Courtesy: Hyundai Motor America.