Adam Bernard

By the time I was 10, I was a fan of both cars and detective novels. I didn’t know at the time I’d be leveraging those interests into a fulfilling career.

While in college getting my engineering degree, I stumbled into a summer internship with General Motors Design’s Strategic Planning Group—the left brain inside a right-brained organization. That’s where I discovered something called ‘competitor intelligence.’

My cocktail-party response to “What do you do?” was “I’m a spy.” Sure, it’s an exaggeration; I’ve never even driven an Aston Martin. But in 1999, I joined GM’s fledgling global competitor intelligence function, where I spent the next 25 years of my career (eventually leading the group). Our vision was ‘no surprises;’ we tracked and analyzed industry trends and how competitors would (or could) respond. I networked with media and industry analysts, hit the major global auto shows, and absorbed data from multiple sources—and, like any good detective, I became adept at storytelling. “So, here’s what’s happening…”

My audiences ranged from GM’s Board of Directors to working-level engineers. I was a frequent speaker at all-team meetings and was the ‘go-to’ source for questions about the industry. I told people that if they didn’t leave my presentations feeling a little smarter and a little scared, I hadn’t done my job.

I also spent 15 years running GM's LGBTQ+ employee resource group, GM PLUS (Out & Equal's ERG of the Year in 2009), and can speak the role of DEI in a corporate setting.

When I left GM at the end of 2024, I realized I still really liked the auto industry, and, more importantly, I really liked my job—and that’s how AutoPerspectives was born, leveraging my experience to share insights about the ever-shifting automotive landscape. If you’re hear about how the Chinese have been winning with EVs, the implications of the latest auto industry trends, or how VW Group’s strategy positions for them success, I'm your guy.