DETROIT, Jan. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Inforum kicks off the New Year with its 11th Annual Auto Show Breakfast featuring Sergio Marchionne, chairman and CEO, Chrysler Group LLC and CEO, Fiat S.p.A. The event is sold-out with an audience of 1,000 who will be in attendance. Chrysler and KPMG LLP are presenting sponsors of the event. The Honorable Debbie Stabenow will give opening remarks.

At the helm of Chrysler's dramatic turnaround, Marchionne is bringing together two companies with cultures as different as its global brands Alfa Romeo and Jeep. Marchionne will give a presentation covering a range of topics, including his leadership principles, winning the talent war with diversity and inclusion, and the making of those famous Super Bowl ads.

Joining Marchionne on stage for Q&A is Rebecca Lindland, director of research for IHS Automotive. Lindland is part of an 8-person global team responsible for evaluating and assessing OEMs that participate in the U.S. and Canada marketplaces.

"We are excited to kick off our first event of the year with such a fascinating and transformative leader as Mr. Marchionne," said Terry Barclay, president and CEO of Inforum and Inforum Center for Leadership. "Over the past decade, Inforum's Auto Show Breakfast has become an anticipated event during one of the most important weeks of the year in southeast Michigan."

Immediately following the breakfast, Inforum's AutomotiveNEXT will bring together more than 100 university students and young professionals to meet with top women executives in the automotive industry. AutomotiveNEXT 1:1 features small-group conversations between emerging leaders and top industry executives. The purpose of the event is to illustrate the breadth of the automotive industry and its range of careers – from engineers to accountants, finance, marketing, etc. The conversations are meaningful and offer both practical advice and inspiration.

Event Details
Date: Friday, Jan. 18
Time: 7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Location: Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, Renaissance Ballroom

About AutomotiveNEXT

AutomotiveNEXT is an industry group of Inforum that brings together subject-matter experts and practitioners who collaborate on automotive industry issues, share best practices and bring forth new ideas. AutomotiveNEXT aspires to bring our community, industry executives and individuals together to optimize the contribution of women in the automotive industry to make sure the industry gets its fair share of today's and tomorrow's talent.

About Inforum

Inforum is the leading professional organization focused on creating strategic connections and accelerating careers for women throughout Michigan and the Midwest. Inforum serves a broad range of professional women at different stages of their careers – from emerging leaders, to high-potential executives, entrepreneurs, and corporate board leaders. Inforum has offices in Detroit and Grand Rapids with operations in Kalamazoo, Lansing and Saginaw. For more information, visit www.inforummichigan.org or call 877.633.3500.

SOURCE Inforum