Chris Borroni-Bird, program director for GM's AUTOnomy concept and the Hy-wire concept vehicles

Chris Borroni-Bird, one of the world's leading fuel cell experts, joined General Motors Corp. in June 2000, as director of Design and Technology Fusion Group, a unique new role to blend advanced technologies and design.

Borroni-Bird, is also program director for GM's AUTOnomy concept and the Hy-wire concept vehicles, which are the first vehicles designed from the ground up around a fuel cell propulsion system and the first to combine fuel cells with by-wire technology, which allows steering, braking and other vehicle systems to be controlled electronically rather than mechanically. AUTOnomy was unveiled at the 2002 North American International Auto Show. The GM Hy-wire will be unveiled at the Paris Motors Show on September 26, 2002.

Prior to joining General Motors, Borroni-Bird was in technology management at Daimler-Chrysler and led an effort to develop fuel cells that run on gasoline.

A native of Liverpool, England, Borroni-Bird earned a Ph.D in chemistry from Cambridge University in 1991. During a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Tokyo, he continued his studies on reaction heat and catalysts, but also found time to consult with Boeing Corp's Japanese division and be a sales representative for a British scientific instrument manufacturer.