Aicha Evans

Aicha Evans is the Chief Executive Officer and Director of Amazon's self-driving car subsidiary, Zoox Inc., a position she has held since 2019. Upon her appointment, Evans marked a milestone as the first Senegalese-American female CEO of an autonomous vehicle technology company. Under her leadership, Zoox is developing an autonomous ride-hailing service, aiming for a commercial launch in Las Vegas.

Evans has been instrumental in transitioning Zoox from developmental stages to market implementation, ensuring the company's autonomous driving technology meets safety standards for consumers. This transition was marked by a significant milestone when Evans led the acquisition of Zoox by Amazon for US$1.3 billion in June 2020. Moreover, she has overseen the reveal of Zoox's custom robotaxi, specifically designed for ride-hailing.

Before joining Zoox, Evans held various strategic and managerial roles at Intel Corporation, ultimately serving as its Chief Strategy Officer until January 2019. Through these roles, she played a significant part in steering Intel from a PC-centric to a data-centric company. She also held management positions related to WiMAX networks and WiFi engineering in Israel.

In recognition of her impact in the business world, Evans was named to Business Insider's list of 100 People Transforming Business in the transportation category in 2019. Additionally, she was included in the inaugural 2021 Forbes 50 Over 50 list which highlights influential individuals over the age of 50. She was also inducted into the George Washington University Engineering Hall of Fame.

Beyond her corporate roles, Evans serves as a trustee for the Anita Borg Institute for Women & Technology and is a member of the supervisory board of SAP. She holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from The George Washington University. A native of Senegal, Evans spent her childhood in Paris.

A firm advocate for autonomous vehicle technologies, Evans has shared her insights through numerous platforms, including a TED Talk titled "Your self-driving robotaxi is almost here" in November 2021, and a discussion at TEDMonterey Session 6 about urban possibilities and solutions for city living.