Kristen Siemen
Senior AdvisorMcKinsey & CompanyKristen Siemen is a board director and former General Motors C-suite executive with experience leading technology-driven transformation and enterprise operations in capital intensive global enterprises. Her background spans automotive product development, engineering, manufacturing, and sustainability, with expertise in electrification, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), software-defined vehicles, safety, energy systems, and large-scale manufacturing.
As GM’s Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Kristen led the integration of sustainability into core business and product strategy, overseeing multibillion-dollar investments in EV and battery manufacturing, renewable energy, and operational decarbonization. She partnered closely with senior leadership and the board to align technology, capital allocation, risk management, and disclosure with long-term value creation.
Kristen is widely regarded as a thoughtful and trusted voice on the industry’s transition to a more sustainable, electrified, and software-enabled future. She currently serves on and advises boards across technology, clean energy, and industrial sectors, bringing a pragmatic, systems-level perspective to growth and transformation. Her non-profit board service includes the Engineering Society of Detroit Board and the Oakland University School of Engineering & Computer Science Advisory Board, where she received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering.
Sustainable Engineering: Materials, Circularity and the Carbon Challenge Across OEMs
As OEMs face increasing pressure to reduce carbon impact while maintaining performance, reliability, and profitability, sustainable engineering has mo…As OEMs face increasing pressure to reduce carbon impact while maintaining performance, reliability, and profitability, sustainable engineering has moved from aspiration to operational imperative. This session explores how leading manufacturers are a…As OEMs face increasing pressure to reduce carbon impact while maintaining performance, reliability, and profitability, sustainable engineering has moved from aspiration to operational imperative. This session explores how leading manufacturers are advancing sustainable materials, embedding circularity into product design, and responding to global decarbonization mandates without compromising quality or innovation. Attendees will gain insight into how sustainability is being engineered directly into products, manufacturing processes, and supply chains—shaping the next generation of high‑performance, low‑impact systems. This session will be led by Kristen Siemen, Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Company and former Chief Sustainability Officer and Global Product Development & Engineering Executive at General Motors. Kristen has led sustainability, electrification, energy systems, and advanced manufacturing initiatives at global scale, overseeing the integration of sustainable materials, lifecycle design, and carbon‑reduction strategies across complex OEM portfolios. Drawing on her experience driving enterprise‑wide transformation in automotive and industrial manufacturing, Kristen will share practical, executive‑level perspectives on designing for circularity, navigating regulatory and market pressures, and aligning sustainability goals with engineering, quality, and business performance.Show MoreClick the title to see all details
