Leadership
Edward T. Hightower, Managing Director
If you stand on any busy street corner in America for 60-seconds, you will see at least one of the automobiles which Edward Hightower had a leading role in creating and bringing to market. The iconic BMW 6 Series, Lincoln Navigator, Buick Enclave, and new Chevy Blazer are a few examples. Hightower is an accomplished global automotive engineering and business executive, entrepreneur, and author. He is managing director of Motoring Ventures LLC, an investment, growth, strategy, and operations advisory firm focused on driving value + impact in automotive and manufacturing businesses around the world. Hightower serves on the boards of directors of Tempel Steel – a global manufacturer of precision components for electric motors; and HEVO Power – a designer, developer, and manufacturer of wireless charging systems for electric vehicles.
Previously, Hightower served in several new-product design and engineering, strategy, brand marketing, and senior executive roles between Ford, BMW, and GM; including leading GM’s $15 billion global crossovers business as the executive chief engineer and vehicle line executive. He also worked as a consultant at AlixPartners, LLP; fixing business operations, growing revenue, and advising on over $8.4 billion in M&A transactions for client company owners, CEOs, and private equity investors. He has extensive experience in emerging markets in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Hightower authored the book Motoring Africa: Sustainable Automotive Industrialization. Building Entrepreneurs, Creating Jobs, and Driving the World’s Next Economic Miracle, published in 2018. Based on his industry experiences in China, India, South Korea, Mexico, and Brazil, Motoring Africa makes the case and offers an actionable roadmap for building sustainable manufacturing businesses in six of the 54 countries in Africa.
Originally from Chicago, Hightower earned a BS in General Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business; where he serves on the Ross School Advisory Board and chaired the Ross Alumni Board of Governors. He is a lifetime member of both Kappa Alpha Psi and the Council on Foreign Relations. He also advises businesses in West Africa as part of the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies (Seed) consultant program. Hightower is a 5th degree Black Belt and certified Sensei instructor of Isshinryu karate. He and his family live in metro Detroit, Michigan, USA.
