MLA Places Peter Simshauser as General Counsel and Secretary of Hyundai-Aptiv Autonomous Driving Joint Venture

Hanover, MD (April 16, 2020) — Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA), the world’s leading legal search firm, today announced the placement of Peter Simshauser as general counsel and secretary for the Hyundai-Aptiv Autonomous Driving Joint Venture in Boston, MA. The search was conducted by Michael Shulklapper, managing director in Los Angeles and Amy Katz, managing director in Boston, both of MLA’s In-House Counsel Recruiting group.

As general counsel and secretary, as well as a member of the senior leadership team, Peter will serve as the principal legal officer of the of the joint venture with overall responsibility for the vision and leadership of the global legal strategy and services and the management of legal risk throughout the organization. He will manage a team of attorneys and government relations specialists and provide oversight and supervision of outside counsel relationships.

In March 2020, Aptiv (NYSE: APTV) and Hyundai Motor Group closed their $4 billion transaction to form an autonomous driving joint venture to advance the design, development and commercialization of autonomous mobility technologies, furthering the partners’ leadership position in the global autonomous driving ecosystem, and advancing the companies' shared vision of making mobility more safe, green, connected, and accessible. The joint venture is led by Karl Iagnemma, President and CEO, Hyundai-Aptiv Autonomous Driving Joint Venture, and is headquartered in Boston’s Seaport District, with technology centers across the U.S. and Asia.

“This was an exciting search for a newly launched venture leader in the global autonomous driving ecosystem, which called for an exceptional legal executive to join the company’s leadership team at its inception,” said Amy Katz. “Peter’s passion and extraordinary track record for successfully navigating complex, high-stakes and technically challenging disputes at Skadden, along with his incredible strategic focus and diplomacy, will serve the Hyundai-Aptiv Autonomous Driving Joint Venture well as its first chief legal officer and general counsel,” Michael Shulklapper added.

Peter comes to the Hyundai-Aptiv Autonomous Driving JV following a highly successful career with Skadden, Arps, Slate Meagher & Flom LLP.  Peter spent 20+ years as a Skadden litigation partner concentrating on complex commercial disputes. He began his career as an associate with Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in San Francisco.