By
Counterman
NEXUS Automotive International’s global event, the NEXUS Business Forum, took place at the SwissTech Convention Center in Lausanne, Switzerland, between March 31 and April 2. The forum gathered 300 companies and more than 700 attendees from 96 countries.
It included the fourth edition of NEXUS Climate Day, “The Future is Ours” plenary session, and more than 3,000 speed-dating meetings that created new business opportunities and strengthened relationships within the N! Community. NEXUS CEO Gaël Escribe issued the “Lausanne Appeal,” urging the N! Community to embrace greater collaboration, particularly in unpredictable times, to achieve success and contribute positively to the overall automotive aftermarket industry.
“The Future is Ours” plenary session: unprecedented discussion with aftermarket associations
During “The Future is Ours” plenary session, NEXUS Automotive International hosted a roundtable bringing together, for the first time, leaders from influential aftermarket associations such as Bill Hanvey from the Auto Care Association and Chris Gardner from MEMA, representing the United States; Frank Schlehuber from Clepa and Sylvia Gotzen from Figiefa, representing Europe; and Wilson Ni of the Chinese Automotive Intelligence Society. During the session, the leaders of these organizations shared their insights into the short- and medium-term challenges that are redefining the industry.
Beyond identifying trends, they established a framework for cross-functional collaboration designed to advance the aftermarket ecosystem, turning regional concerns into a collective drive for progress.
“The Wise Guys” session: leaders share perspectives on the market’s evolution
A major highlight was “The Wise Guys” session including Arnd Franz, CEO of Mahle; Neil Fryer, vice president and general manager, global aftermarket, for PHINIA; Todd Hertzler, regional president, MA North America, Bosch; Cedric Dackam, president and general manager, automotive aftermarket, MANN+HUMMEL; Randy Buller, co-founder and chairman, The Parts Authority; and Gaël Escribe, NEXUS Automotive International’s CEO. This platform featured key industry players who shared perspectives on the market’s evolution.
In a display of strategic transparency, these leaders examined short- and medium-term challenges redefining the ecosystem. By establishing a framework for cross-functional collaboration, they turned individual concerns into a collective drive for progress and reinforced the N! Community’s role across the industry.
NEXUS Climate Day: from competitive advantage to value creation
The fourth
link hidden, please login to view Climate Day convened more than 300 participants to develop tangible solutions and share best practices. The event brought together sustainability specialists, suppliers and members of the N! Community, representing the entire NEXUS value chain.
Panel discussions and proof-of-concept (POC) projects developed by Bosch, MANN+HUMMEL, SKF and TotalEnergies provided concrete guidelines for embedding sustainability within the industry. Escribe appealed for the foundation of an alliance to structure battery repair in Europe and territories where the EV car parc will generate major maintenance soon.
While individual efforts within the industry are taking shape, forming alliances across ecosystems can create the only answer to this major challenge: a collaborative approach.
Redesigned award ceremony
The annual
link hidden, please login to view award ceremony named DRiV as Supplier of the Year and Goldwagen as Member of the Year. In the heavy-duty category, Europart & Wijlhuizen were both recognized as Members of the Year.
Individual honors went to industry leaders: Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia from GSF was awarded Man of the Year, while Elodie Luce from TotalEnergies and Hasmeet Kaur from MANN+HUMMEL were both awarded Woman of the Year. North American partners Randy Buller from Parts Authority and Robert Roos from The Pronto Network were recognized with a Leadership Excellence Award and NEXUS Commitment Excellence Award.
ElringKlinger and MANN+HUMMEL shared Growth Champion in the Strategic Supplier category, while Purflux Group took the award for Preferred Supplier and ZF for Heavy-Duty. The bilstein group was named Customer Experience Champion.
NEXUS leadership on value creation and collaboration
“This Business Forum reflects the growing maturity of NEXUS and the new stage we are entering,” said Escribe. “We are becoming a group fully structured around high-value creation for our supplier partners, members, and the wider aftermarket ecosystem, in a context defined by transformation, growth, and collaboration. The 2026 NEXUS Business Forum has acted as a catalyst for building a more resilient aftermarket of tomorrow.”
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By Counterman
By OReilly Auto Parts
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