PHOTOGRAPH BY ROB TILL

Charleen Clarke has been invited to join the World Car Awards jury! According to Prime Research’s latest media influence report, World Car Awards is the number one awards programme across the globe (a feat it has achieved for the sixth consecutive year).

Clarke says that she is both humbled and honoured by her appointment. “It’s a massive honour and a career highlight for me,” she comments. “It is a privilege to represent South Africa, along with Hannes Oosthuizen.”

Clarke is editorial director of CyberStoep, FOCUS and SHEQ MANAGEMENT, editor of ROLLING INSPIRATION and motoring editor of DEKAT.

The 2019 edition of the World Car Awards has begun with the announcement of the list of 2019 jurors. 2019 marks the 15th anniversary of the World Car Awards which has a dual mission of celebrating the best of today and inspiring the best of tomorrow. This is accomplished via two platforms:

The Road to World Car is an annual journey in partnership with the New York International Show. The journey will follow more than 80 of the jurors as they test drive the cars nominated for the 2019 awards. The official launch will take place in Paris this October. The journey will end when the winners are officially declared at the New York International Auto Show in April 2019. We will make a couple of stops along the way: in Los Angeles for our fifth annual test-drive event in November and in Geneva when we announce the top three finalists in March of 2019. The World Car Garage will be staged for the fourth year at the London Motor Show in May of 2019 offering a glimpse of the 2020 contenders as well as celebrating the 2019 winners announced earlier at the New York International Auto Show.

The Road Ahead initiative focuses on writing, broadcasting, posting and tweeting about future trends and innovations through regular newsletters and other reports from September 2018 through to April 2019. The Global Trends Report, co-presented by Prime Research and Autoneum, represents the culmination of seven months’ worth of research and will be revealed at the New York International Auto Show in April 2019.

Together, the dual platform along with the 83 international automotive journalists have helped the World Car Awards achieve their global status as the most visible, most powerful awards programme.

As the global nature of the industry continues to strengthen, and the pace of innovation continues to accelerate, World Car is proud to be a part of this amazing journey along with its partners: the New York International Auto Show, Prime Research, Autoneum, Bridgestone Corporation, Newspress (official media partner) and KPMG (vote tabulation).

JURORS – 2019 WORLD CAR AWARDS

AUSTRALIA
Joshua Dowling (National Motoring Editor, News Limited Australia)
Paul Gover (carsguide.com.au)

AUSTRIA
Stephan Schätzl (Editor: Krone Multimedia; Contributor: Kronen Zeitung)

BRAZIL
Jason Vogel (Editor: O Globo newspaper; contributor: Extra, Espresso newspapers)
Luiz Guerrero (Director: Car and Driver, Auto Fácil)

BRITAIN
Mike Rutherford – Co-Chair, World Car Awards (Chief Columnist, Auto Express. Regular contributor to BBC TV and Radio, ITV, Sky News and other outlets in the UK and overseas)
Richard Aucock (Managing Director: Motoring Research)
Nat Barnes (Motoring Editor: Daily and Sunday Express )
Richard Bremner (Autocar (UK); Daily Telegraph, Daily Express and Edmunds Inside Line; Sunday Times, What Car? Magazine)
Ginny Buckley (Broadcaster and motoring journalist: Good Housekeeping, Carbuyer, BBC, Sky News)
Steve Fowler (EIC: Auto Express)
Charlie Turner (EIC: Top Gear)

CANADA
Gabriel Gélinas (Le Guide de l’Auto, Salut Bonjour TVA television network)
Sami Haj-Assaad (Toronto Star, Autoguide.com)
Mark Richardson (The Globe & Mail)

CHINA
Xia Dong (EIC: Viewworld New Media Group)
Li Geng (EIC: Orient Auto)
Lui Hongcang (EIC: Chinese Auto Pictorial)
Cui Jun (EIC: Car Owners)
Miao Jun (EIC: Car and Driver)
William Wang Kun (EIC: xcar.com)
Xionghui (Sean) Qiu (Publisher: Auto World)
Yunqing Wang (Founder and Editor-in-chief of DearAuto)
Sven Xu (Publisher:Target Magazine, Ramp China)
Liang Zhaohui (Publisher: Robb Report High End Cars, Cars)

FINLAND
Toni Jalovaara (Tekniikan Maailma, Ilta-Sanomat, Kauppalehti)

FRANCE
Lionel Robert (Chief Editor: Auto Moto; EIC: Automobiles – Paris-Match magazine)

GERMANY
Jens Meiners – Partnership Director, World Car Awards Steering Committee (Based in Germany and the USA, Meiners contributes to Car and Driver, Welt, Automobile Industrie, Spotpress and various other outlets).
Christian Brinkmann (EIC: Speed Heads)
Thomas Geiger (Welt am Sonntag, Welt, Bild-Zeitung, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Deutsche Presse Agentur, Der Spiegel online, AutoBild, Der Tagesanzeiger Zürich, www.Autonet.at

Greg Kable (Germany-based contributor to AutoCar UK, CAR UK, Top Gear, MSN Autos, Diesel Car, Evo, What MPV)
Yoshihiro Kimura (Germany-based contributor to Auto Motor und Sport, Frankfurter Allgemaine Zeitung newspaper, Japan’s Motor Magazine, Car Top, Car Graphic)
Peter Schwerdtmann (Auto-Medienportal.Net)
Des Sellmeijer (Publisher& EIC: GTspirit.com)

GREECE
Michael Georgiadis (EIC: Drive magazine)

INDIA
Siddharth Vinayak Patankar – director, World Car Steering Committee (NDTV network)
Dhruv Behl (Founder & Managing Editor: AutoX)
Girish Karkera (EIC: Top Gear)
Renuka Kirpalani (Haymarketsac India – Editor Video; Editor Autocarshow Times network
Auto contributor – Sindhian)
Yogendra Pratap (EIC: Auto Today. Founding member – Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY), Robb Report India, Mail Today , Travel Plus, BT More, SPICE, Indiatoday.in)
Hormazd Sorabjee (Autocar India)

IRELAND
Eddie Cunningham (Motoring editor: Irish Independent)

ITALY
Claire Bel (EIC : La Stampa newspaper)
Luca Ciferri (Associate Publisher & Editor, Automotive News Europe)
Alessandro Lago (EIC: OmniAuto.it | Motor1.com Italia)
Michael Taylor (Italy-based contributor to: Carsales.com.au, motoring.com.au, Motor magazine (Australia), AutoBlog.com, Car and Driver (US), Engine magazine (Japan), autoExpress (UK), The Irish Times, Business Day (South Africa), Autologia (Mexico, Chile), Car and Driver (China), Engine Technology International, Forbes (USA)
Alessandro Marchetti Tricamo (EIC: L’Automobile; contributor Corriere della Sera daily newspaper)

JAPAN
Peter Lyon – Co-chair, World Car Steering Committee (Car & Driver, Forbes, Forbes Japan, Auto Express, Quattroruote, GQ Japan, Samurai Wheels TV)
Shinichi Katsura (Car Graphic, Auto Sport, Tipo, Genroq, Engine, Car Top etc)
Yasuhiko Kawamura (MotorMagazine, CarWatch, MotorFan, webCG, Driver, Autoc One, OPENERS)
Hideshi Matsuda (Best Car, Holiday Auto, Motor Magazine, Navi, J’s Tipo, Car Sensor, Xacar, Genroq, Response, Car Graphic)
Goro Okazaki (Weekly TV Show – Goro Okazaki’s Car Talk, Car & Driver – Japan, CarView, Goods Press, Car Graphic – Japan)
Koji Ozawa (Best Car, Engine, Lapita, CarGraphic, Smart, Begin,
Takarajima, Form, nikkeibp.jp)
Kumi Sato (CarTop, Motor Magazine, CarView, Holiday Auto, Engine, The Motor Weekly FM radio)
Motohiro Yamazaki (Autocar Japan, GQ Japan, Car Magazine, Response and GENROQ)

JORDAN
Mohammad Zaro (EIC: Sayyarat Alghad magazine/Automotors.me)

KOREA
Charley Chae (EIC: Global Auto News)
JooSik Choi (EIC : AutoCar Korea)

MEXICO
Manuel Ferdandez (On-line editor: Automovil Panamericano)
Carlos Sandoval (Auto Explora Group)

POLAND
Maciej Pertynski (Auto Moto and Motor)

PORTUGAL
Guilherme Costa (EIC: Razao Automovel)

RUSSIA
Dmitry Barinov (Autopanorama magazine)
Vladimir Soloviev (Za Rulem magazine)
Vitaly Tishchenko (EIC: Top Gear Russia)

SLOVENIA
Milos Milac (Finance Business Daily)

SOUTH AFRICA
Hannes Oosthuizen (Cars.co.za)
Charleen Clarke (FOCUS, DEKAT, cyberstoep.co.za, ROLLING INSPIRATION, SHEQ MANAGEMENT)

SPAIN
Fernando Gómez Blanco (Director: Centimetros Cubicos TV)
Manuel Gómez Blanco (El Païs newspaper)

USA
Tim Stevens – Director, World Car Awards Steering Committee (EIC: Roadshow – CNET)
Eric Adams (Wired, Gear Patrol)
Matt Askari (Luxury Magazine, Autoblog, Cool Hunting)
Roberto Baldwin (Senior Editor: Engadget)
Abigail Bassett (Senior Director, Edmunds)
Zac Estrada (Carscoops, Carfax)
Steven Ewing (Managing editor: Roadshow – CNET)
Jonathan Gitlin (Automotive editor: Ars Technica)
Richard Homan (Kelley Blue Book)
Joe Lorio (Senior On-Line Editor, Hearst Digital Media)
John McCormick (Detroit News, Automotive Industries)
Jason Stein (Vice President Publisher, Automotive News Publisher, Automotive News Canada, Europe & China)
Jaclyn Trop (Forbes, Fortune and Fast Company)
Tamara Warren (The Verge, Racked, Vox)