Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) announced today it has appointed Pamela Cohn as vice president to lead the Group’s Global Strategy and Operations at its Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Division.

In the role, Cohn, a pioneering force in establishing the UAM market, will apply her industry expertise and leadership experience from aviation consultancy firm Ascension Global to lead UAM Division’s global commercial and policy efforts.

“We are fortunate to have Pamela join our leadership team,” said Dr. Jaiwon Shin, Executive Vice President and Head of UAM Division of the Group. “With her strong reputation in the industry, firsthand knowledge of operational, strategic and policy opportunities in the UAM space, and track record of delivering results in traditional and future aviation, we are excited for her to scale our global footprint.”

Cohn brings with her a team of UAM experts from Ascension Global with extensive experience serving a range of clients across the industry on their toughest strategy, technology and policy challenges.

“I’m thrilled and humbled by the opportunity to help bring UAM to life,” said Cohn. “I believe Hyundai Motor Group is uniquely positioned to advance this sector and put citizens and communities at the heart of its ecosystem,” added Cohn. “It has been a distinct privilege to counsel the leaders in this industry on behalf of Ascension, and we are looking forward to putting guidance into action at Hyundai.”

Through the UAM Division, Hyundai Motor Group aims to provide innovative and smart mobility solutions as UAM industry is about to become an important proponent for an integrated mobility solution to address the ever-increasing traffic congestion in megacities around the world.

Earlier this month at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the Group’s flagship unit Hyundai Motor Company presented its human-centered mobility vision of offering seamless mobility to  vitalize future cities with its unique integrated concept of UAM along with Purpose Built Vehicles (PBV) and Hub.

The Group displayed a concept personal air vehicle (PAV) model S-A1 that was built in collaboration with Uber Elevate, as Uber and Hyundai agreed to work together in aerial ridesharing filed.  

Cohn most recently founded aviation consultancy Ascension Global, where she served decision-makers and leaders in industry on their top strategy and technology challenges. Her expertise in UAM, infrastructure and policy will help the Group achieve a lead in the rapidly evolving UAM sector.

Prior to founding Ascension Global, Cohn founded McKinsey’s UAS Hub and was a leader in its Aerospace & Defense and Infrastructure practice groups. Cohn received her master’s degree in war studies from King’s College London and her bachelor’s degree in economics and politics from Durham University.