June 9, 2025

Freedom of Mobility Forum Begins a New Chapter June 18 at MOVE 2025 in London

Freedom of Mobility Forum begins a new mission on June 18 as a thought-leadership panel, hosting a panel discussion at MOVE 2025.
Anne Laliron, Senior Vice President, Head of Tech Research at Stellantis, will lead this panel discussion with experts on autonomous vehicles and social acceptance.
This year, the Forum is evolving its format to reach a broader and more diverse audience with localized topics and tailored stakeholder engagement.

AMSTERDAM – Founded by Stellantis and facilitated by Wavestone as a neutral third party, the Freedom of Mobility Forum will begin its new chapter as a thought-leadership platform on June 18 at MOVE 2025, the world’s leading tech mobility event at ExCeL in London.

In 2025, the Forum will evolve its format to reach a broader and more diverse audience with localized topics and tailored stakeholder engagement. Instead of hosting an annual global debate, as in 2023 and 2024, the Forum will focus on existing events linked to the Mobility field, including technology, entrepreneurship, access to education, sustainability and circular economy, business impact and OEM ecosystems, that reflect regional specificities, perspectives and needs.

“With the Freedom of Mobility Forum, our objective is to create a platform for open dialogue that drives innovation and collaboration across the mobility sector,” said Ned Curic, co-chair of the Freedom of Mobility Forum. “We aim to address the challenges and opportunities in mobility to ensure a sustainable and accessible future for all.”

To begin its new chapter as a thought-leadership panel, Anne Laliron, Senior Vice President, Head of Tech Research at Stellantis, will lead a live Freedom of Mobility Forum panel discussion titled “Autonomous Vehicles: Making Future Mobility Accessible, Safe, and Socially Accepted” on June 18 at 12:15 p.m. (UTC +1) at MOVE 2025 in the main Keynote Theater.

Self-driving cars features are gaining momentum progressively, but social acceptability and customer benefits perception are uneven across regions. With the pace of population ageing much faster than in the past, Gen Z prefers ride-sharing to driving, and autonomous vehicles are exponentially scaling globally. Will autonomous driving earn society’s trust to become a vector for future freedom of movement?

Anne Laliron will be joined by:

James Peng, Co-Founder and CEO, Pony.ai
Mario Trapp, Executive Director, Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems IKS
Moderator: Cecilia Edwards, Business Transformation Consultant, Wavestone

Anne Laliron, Senior Vice President, Head of Tech Research, Stellantis

Anne Laliron is a technology and innovation leader with over 25 years of automotive experience turning advanced engineering into impactful mobility solutions.

With a background in electronics, she has held strategic roles across R&D, innovation, and future product planning, drawing on her experience at both an automotive supplier and a global OEM. She has led a full vehicle program, shaped forward-looking innovation strategies, and built new business opportunities through partnerships with startups.

Anne is currently Head of Stellantis Tech Research, where she leads global innovation efforts. She is passionate about transforming emerging technologies into meaningful, scalable solutions.

James Peng, Co-Founder and CEO, Pony.ai

Dr. Peng is an entrepreneur and leader in the self-driving car space. He is passionate about bringing great people together to solve challenging problems in future mobility.

Under Dr. Peng’s leadership, Pony.ai has quickly become an industry leader and launched multiple autonomous driving fleets to the public across the globe. Prior to co-founding Pony.ai, Dr. Peng worked at Baidu and Google for 11 years. He holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and a B.S. from Tsinghua University.

Mario Trapp, Executive Director, Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems IKS

Prof. Mario Trapp is a leading safety researcher with over 20 years of experience translating research into industry innovations.

He has guided the automotive sector from its initial forays into functional safety to its current advancements in autonomous driving, drawing on his cross-industry experience in cyber-physical systems. As Executive Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems in Munich, Prof. Trapp is at the forefront of cognitive systems research. He is also Chair for Engineering Resilient Cognitive Systems at the Technical University of Munich.

Cecilia Edwards, Moderator, Wavestone

Cecilia Edwards is a transformation strategist and thought leader who advises Fortune 100 companies on leveraging emerging technologies, especially AI, to drive inclusive, high-impact change.

Known for her work at the intersection of business, technology, and society, she is also a lauded keynote speaker. Cecilia began her career launching rockets as an officer in the U.S. Air Force.

Before joining Wavestone, she worked at The Boston Consulting Group and led a Dallas-based foundation focused on strengthening lower-income neighborhoods. She holds an AB from Smith College and an MBA from UC Berkeley.

A replay of the panel discussion will be available on the Freedom of Mobility Forum’s YouTube channel. Additionally, highlights of the Forum will be published on freedomofmobilityforum.org, contributing to the Forum’s ongoing commitment to open dialogue and Stellantis’ mission of delivering long-term positive impact within planetary boundaries.

Throughout the year, the Forum will continue to explore the year’s central theme through expert interviews and publications, as it has in previous editions. YouGov, a global online research company, will return with its Mobility Barometer. Launched in 2024, the survey provides new insights on public expectations around mobility and their readiness to adapt habits in response to emerging solutions.

About the Freedom of Mobility Forum

The Freedom of Mobility Forum, initiated by Stellantis and facilitated by a neutral third-party, is an international gathering of passionate problem-solvers committed to fact-based discussions that challenge the status quo, expand perspectives and identify how best to enable safe, affordable and sustainable freedom of mobility.

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