Laura Schwab, a former executive at Jaguar Land Rover and Rivian, shares her journey in the automotive industry and her new venture, Addition, which focuses on innovative tech solutions for everyday problems. The conversation dives into the importance of narrative and communication in brand transformation, as well as how culture influences change. Schwab discusses her passion for creating products that evoke emotion and enhance user experience, reflecting on her transition from established automotive brands to entrepreneurship. Her insights on leadership and brand identity provide valuable lessons for anyone navigating change.
"I worked in the automotive industry. We talked a lot about can an object have a soul? Can a car have a soul? I always argued that it could because I couldn't think of a lot of objects that made people feel emotions the way cars do."
When people say a car has a 'soul', they mean it has a special character or personality that makes it feel more meaningful to them. It's about the emotions and memories tied to the car, not just its function.
The concept of a car having a 'soul' refers to the emotional connection and personality that a vehicle can evoke in its owner or driver. This idea suggests that cars can be more than just machines; they can represent memories, experiences, and feelings.
"...whether it was Land Rover or Jaguar or Aston Martin or Rivian. I mean, the comparables are all there..."
Jaguar is a brand that makes luxury cars, often known for their stylish looks and powerful engines.
Jaguar is a British luxury vehicle manufacturer known for its high-performance cars and elegant design. It is often associated with luxury and sportiness.
"...whether it was Land Rover or Jaguar or Aston Martin or Rivian. I mean, the comparables are all there..."
Aston Martin is a brand that makes high-end sports cars, known for their luxury and speed, often featured in movies like James Bond.
Aston Martin is a British luxury sports car manufacturer famous for its high-performance vehicles and association with James Bond films. They focus on craftsmanship and performance.
"...I was like, oh, I've got a Volkswagen Jetta. Like, I love cars. Like, of course, I love cars..."
The Volkswagen Jetta is a small car that many people like because it's easy to drive and has different engine choices. It's a good option for those who want a reliable vehicle.
The Volkswagen Jetta is a compact car that has been popular for its practicality and performance. It offers a comfortable ride and a variety of engine options, making it a versatile choice for many drivers.
"And for those who don't follow this sort of thing so closely, I mean, now Amazon Autos is a legitimate thing and you can spy your car online."
Amazon Autos is a way to buy cars online through Amazon, just like you would buy books or electronics. It makes it easier to find and purchase a car without going to a dealership.
Amazon Autos is a service offered by Amazon that allows customers to shop for cars online, similar to how they would purchase other products on the Amazon platform. It aims to streamline the car buying process by providing a digital marketplace.
"For some may remember true car as being a little bit of a marketplace like that."
TrueCar is a website that helps you find out how much cars cost and connects you with dealers. It makes buying a car easier by showing you fair prices.
TrueCar is an online platform that provides pricing information and connects buyers with local dealerships. It helps consumers understand what they should pay for a vehicle based on market data.
"I mean, now Amazon Autos is a legitimate thing and you can spy your car online. For some may remember true car as being a little bit of a marketplace like that."
A marketplace is a place where people can buy and sell things, like cars. It can be a website or a store where you can find different options and prices.
In the context of automotive sales, a marketplace refers to a platform where buyers and sellers can interact to buy and sell vehicles. This can include online platforms or physical dealerships that facilitate transactions.
"...he created the Subaru love campaign, even though he's not at Subaru, they still use it..."
Subaru is a car brand from Japan that makes vehicles known for their all-wheel drive system, which helps with traction in tough conditions. Popular models include the Subaru Outback and WRX.
Subaru is a Japanese automaker known for its all-wheel drive vehicles and boxer engines. They are particularly popular for their rugged models like the Outback and the WRX, which are favored for their performance and reliability.
"...he created so many different Hyundai Superbowl commercials for those who may not know..."
Hyundai is a car company from South Korea that makes many different types of vehicles, including sedans and SUVs. They are known for offering good value and a long warranty on their cars.
Hyundai is a South Korean automotive manufacturer known for producing a wide range of vehicles, from compact cars to SUVs. They have gained a reputation for quality, affordability, and a strong warranty program.
"...you were already the director of marketing at JLR. You were responsible for so much within that company, product, communications, digital data."
JLR is a company that makes luxury cars, including brands like Jaguar and Land Rover. They are known for their stylish and high-performance vehicles.
JLR stands for Jaguar Land Rover, a British multinational automotive company that designs, manufactures, and sells luxury vehicles under the Jaguar and Land Rover brands.
"...we all looked at what Tesla did and has done and is still doing. And you know, you never want to reach a point that you feel like you stop pushing yourself..."
Tesla is a car company from the United States that makes electric cars. They are known for their advanced technology and have changed how people think about cars.
Tesla is an American electric vehicle manufacturer known for its innovative technology and high-performance electric cars. It has significantly impacted the automotive industry by popularizing electric vehicles.
Select text to request an explanation
The automobile is one of the most important inventions that revolutionize the modern world.
In America, the rich history of car culture runs deep as technology continues to shape the future
of the industry. Jason Stein is here to share the stories of people passionate about cars from
industry leaders and innovators to car obsessed celebrities. Buckle up as Jason takes you inside
the boardroom onto the track and around the bend on Cars and Culture on SiriusXM Business Radio.
We welcome you into episode 238 of Cars and Culture with Jason Stein here on SiriusXM Business
Channel 132. Great to have you along for the ride again this week. Every industry talks about
technology, but what actually determines whether technology succeeds is something else entirely.
How it's explained, how it's positioned, how it's trusted, and how people are brought along
for the change. That's the part of transformation that doesn't live in engineering labs or in
boardrooms. It lives in narrative, it lives in strategy, and it lives in how companies communicate
who they are and where they're going. That's where today's guest has spent her career. Laura Schwab
has worked at the point where companies translate change into meeting. She's done that inside some
of the most visible and complex brands in modern automotive. At Jaguar Land Rover, she helped guide
a heritage brand through a period of reinvention, balancing history with electrification, luxury
with sustainability, and performance with purpose. At Rivian, she stepped into a clean
sheet company trying to define not just a product, but an identity. What it means to be an EV brand,
a technology company, and a lifestyle company all at once. Those are very different environments,
but they demand the same skill and helping people understand change before they can accept it,
helping organizations stay coherent while they evolve. So how does Laura Schwab see the world
today? She spent her career inside exactly all of that work. It's about culture and how it determines
whether transformation actually works. And today she brings that experience into this conversation.
We'll talk about what she's learned navigating brand change, what she's seen when companies get
it right and when they don't, and what leaders in any industry should understand about communication,
coherence, and trust in times of transformation. It's Laura Schwab on her latest venture,
an auto industry veteran here on Cars and Culture. Hi, I'm Laura Schwab and this is Cars and Culture
with Jason Stein. Today's guests did not grow up dreaming of running luxury car brands or maybe
helping shape the future of the industry. In fact, she didn't even really intend to work
in automotive at all, but somewhere between a post law school job search and a tech startup
and a scrappy effort to build one of the first online configurations in the industry. The automotive
world found her and has never let go. I'm honored to welcome my friend back to a platform with me.
Laura, thank you for being on Cars and Culture. I'm so stoked to be here. Thank you for having me.
Thanks for the intro. Yeah, you're welcome. It is great to be with you. I know you're up to a lot
and we should probably talk about that first because what I came across was one of the most
interesting companies that I think I've seen in quite a while and it ties back to what you've
done before, but it also really doesn't. Tell me a little bit about addition and what you're
doing at addition and how in the world it relates to the world of cars. It certainly relates to
culture, but how about cars? Well, it relates to both. I don't think we got into it intending that
it would. After 22 years in the automotive space, it feels like a massive pivot,
but I always think the thing I love most about the car industry is how it makes people feel.
People would always ask me, you must love cars. I do. I love cars, but I always loved how cars
made people feel. When I decided to take a little break, I was like, okay, let's just take a little
time off, which I'm not great at. That was like a couple weeks. I got together with a good friend
of mine and we'd worked together forever ago. I've been friends for years and he's like,
I want to go into business together. I mean, truly, we sat down over a bento box of sushi
and it was like, well, what's it going to be? Truly, just complete blue sky thinking.
I talked about, I love things that solve problems that have a purpose,
but also make people feel an emotion. We started brainstorming and somehow
we got on the conversation of charging cell phones of all things. I think it's because
my battery was running low and I started talking about it. I'm on my phone a lot, Jason. It probably
doesn't surprise you. I use a lot of words sometimes. I was saying, I was like, you know,
what's crazy is how many things I travel with just to charge this one little product. I'm like,
why is everything in the space look the same? Why is there no simple way of doing it? Why can't
it make someone feel good? The whole thing we were talking about wasn't really the tech.
We started having a conversation about how your phone dying can take you away from
a conversation. It can take you away from an important moment. It can take you away from
watching a sunset. It can take you away from watching a Formula One race because I watched
people do it. They walk in, they start looking for outlets and I was like, wouldn't it be nice
if there was something beautiful that made you feel good and you got to just stay in the moments
of life? That was the conversation. I used an example because a few weeks before I had been
at this hotel out here in Southern California and these people were sitting next to me
and the woman asked the server for a phone charger and he's like, of course, I'll put it
behind the bar. She was like, oh no, don't take my phone and put it behind the bar. Nobody wants
that. I'm not going to hand you my phone, which is also my wallet, my life, everything. She looked
at her. I think it was her husband and she said, let's go inside. Let's charge everything up. We'll
be ready for the evening. I watched their entire day change. He was like, but the sun's about to
set. Let's watch the sunset. She said, we can do that tomorrow. I was like, isn't that interesting
how our phones are hugely critical? There's no judgment there. I was like, wow, how is there
not some beautiful solution? I was like, is there anything that could help people stay in the moment?
Anyway, we started talking about charging cell phones, but more importantly, it was about
how can people stay in life? Is there a way that all the cords and all of the chaos that
surrounds us making sure we stay connected to all the important people in our lives
and to all of our own photos and everything else? Is there a way that we don't have to be so
distracted by what it takes to keep it powered up through a day? That was the conversation,
believe it or not. Now there's addition. Now there is addition, which is the company we started
a year and a half ago. Our first product is called ALMA. ALMA means soul in Spanish.
I worked in the automotive industry. We talked a lot about can an object have a soul? Can a car
have a soul? I always argued that it could because I couldn't think of a lot of objects that made
people feel emotions the way cars do. When we designed ALMA and we started showing it to people,
I mean, even now when I show it to people, they start laughing. They're like, wait, what is it?
I'm like, it's a phone charger. It's this sort of disbelief, like no way. How does it work?
Show it to me. I was like, anything, whether it's a car, which would change
enormous emotion or something that feels so simple but looks sleek and is beautiful and has
such an intended purpose, could make people smile and laugh and have this sense of disbelief.
We sort of were like, I think it could have a soul. We named it ALMA. It's the world's first
round wireless charger. It's got a round lithium ion battery. It's the only one that has no cords
at all. It has a specific type of technology where it can give your phone a charge without a wire
and it receives a charge with no wires, and it's the first in the world to do it. I mean,
I was like, I just don't want any wires. How hard can it be? It was harder than I thought,
but here we are now and we've got it, which is really cool.
What's it been like for you in this next chapter of your life? I want to talk at length about
your previous chapter because the lessons and the messages and the perseverance can apply to many,
but what's this new round like? You've stepped away from large, multi-layered,
sometimes heavily bureaucratic, sometimes not car companies to go into this early stage tech,
I guess. I don't even know if I knew what to expect. I mean, I have days where I think
someone can do it for me and then I'm like, wait. Then you look in the mirror. Yes, that person.
Me, it's my company. I think I'd always dreamt of the autonomy to think on my own and to strategize
and to build brands. I'm obsessed with brands and to create a chapter where I'm doing that.
There's these pinch me moments, but there's also moments where it felt really hard, way harder
than I imagined. All those years sitting in a cubicle and one day, if I'm in charge of whatever,
I'll do it a certain way and now that's all on me. I was like, there's been days where I'm like,
am I too institutionalized to even know how to start my own company and run it myself?
And then there's other moments where I've been able to really bring my daughter into the process.
There's not a moment that I'm not really thinking about addition and our product
and our customers and all of that, but I think it's the first thing I've done that my family
feels really involved. All of my friends feel really involved. They were helping me test them.
It's felt so sort of grassroots and from the ground up where my previous career,
it was established brands that have been around for decades and now the thought of...
A century in some cases. Exactly. And then to think about starting a brand from scratch,
in some ways, nice not carrying all that history. In other ways, it's like, we carry no history.
What do we want it to be? It's a bit scary, isn't it?
It's really scary. I work about missteps now that all these people are involved. I mean,
truly, my friends and family on this journey of this moment in my life, I never want to disappoint
people. I'm a bit of a people pleaser and so it's got its really scary moments, but also
I'm ready for it. I think if it had happened another point in my life, I don't think I would
have been ready for what it is and the challenges and the excitement and the need to be tempered
at times as well. Well, it's that entrepreneurial ying and yang, right? It's all on you and it's
all on you. Yes, that's exactly right. I always knew that I had that spirit in me. I mean,
sometimes I think about working for the company as I did for so long. I'm like, how did I manage to
navigate just all of the rules and the layers and the levels because I'm a bit of a free thinker
and I'm always going to ask the question, why have we done it that way? Isn't there a better
way? That's how addition came about. There's got to be a better way. There's got to be a way that
fits into your lifestyle better, that fits in your pocket, that feels beautiful and if you're
going to make a product, could it look like a piece of jewelry and could it make someone feel an
emotion? All of those lessons were there. They were part of what I was doing in auto, but there
were times where I felt like I was butting up against people where it's like, just keep it the
way it's been. Stop asking all the questions. I'm asking the questions now, but it's up to me to
answer them and it's not just about asking the question anymore. It's finding the solutions
and that's been really interesting for me to learn about myself.
You're reimagining luxury through technology, design and experience, which is not that different
than some of your previous luxury experiences, which also were reimagining
that element through technology, design and experience, whether it was Land Rover or Jaguar
Land Rover or Aston Martin or Rivian. I mean, the comparables are all there, or the comparisons
rather. It's so true and I think about it now. I got into auto and I know we'll talk about this
through a startup company that was way ahead of its time. I think about this product. I never
imagined with our product that it wasn't founded on the tech, but the tech has become so important
and there's nothing else like it. As the ports on our phone go away at some point,
we're the only product that has not tethered to any wires. While the experience was what we
were really focused on in the design, again, he thinks so much about the car industry,
the tech is the necessary part of really powering it and bringing the product to life,
of course. You just said something interesting. You said I didn't get into auto because of XY.
You almost didn't get into auto. Yeah, well, that's true. I want to tell that story. You're a
Kentucky girl. You graduated from law school. You didn't want to be an attorney despite graduating
from law school and you were desperate for a job. Here you are in the center of the country.
Notre Dame grad, Kentucky grad begging for jobs and you end up in California. How in the world do
you get into the car industry? How do you get to California or why are you in California and why
are you in the car industry? I think a couple of reasons and this is a story I don't talk about
much because you probably don't even know it, Jason. When I was in, I don't know why I'm saying
this is the moment to talk about it. This is the moment. I went to Notre Dame on a full tennis
scholarship. I had a double major in government Spanish and I'm like, I don't even know what
that means. What do I do with it? I was like, I guess I'll take the LSAT. I'll go back to
Kentucky. I'll go to law school and start law school. Anyone that's listening that's played
a sport ever, whether you've played collegiate sports or not. When it's gone, there is this moment
of, I was always defined by my tennis career and now I'm like a mediocre law student. I spent my
life building my confidence, being confident, knowing that I could succeed and I start law school
and I was vulnerable. I was like a good law student, but I wasn't passionate about it
and I ended up in a terrible relationship, like a very scary relationship and
I wasn't sure that I would graduate. I wasn't actually sure that, you know, like some days
if there would be the next day. I commuted about three hours or so every day to finish my law degree,
my second semester of law school and walked across the stage. I did it and I thought, okay,
maybe I'll try to practice law, but I was like fragile and I'd been through something quite
traumatic and I thought, I think I need to get out of Kentucky. I needed to leave. I needed to
break. I felt really like ashamed of the decision I made. I mean, there's like all these emotions
that now I reflect on and I wish I'd talked about it more in my career, that I'd been in this type
of relationship. I knew a person in California and I looked at my parents. I'm like, I'm going to pack
my bags and I'm going to move to California and they're looking at me like, are you crazy? Like,
you need us. You need your family right now. Don't leave. Don't leave. You've got a law degree.
Like we're here to support you. I've got the most supportive family in the world and I needed
something that felt like a clean slate and I moved to California. I mean, it was as like,
I was like a sliding doors moment kind of like, I don't know if I'd have the courage to do that,
something like that. I was just going to say, what a courageous moment. What a scary moment
for you. Yeah. I mean, I was like, I mean, I think about it now. I get pictures of myself. It's
like unrecognizable really. It's like real thin. I've gone through so much and I arrive in California
in San Diego, California and I'm like, I'm just going to get a job. Any job. I don't care. I just
am going to get a job. I want this. I need this. You know, I'd gone through, you know, a few years
of being told, you'll never get a job. You're not going to be successful. And I was like, I just
need to get a job. And so I start, I mean, it was just like temp agencies and, you know, be like a
personal assistant, anything, any job. I didn't care. And I start applying and I get rejected
from everything. They're like, you have no experience. And I'm like, I know, but, you know,
I like, I was playing tennis and I like all these things. They're like, we're not going to hire anyone
with no experience. And I was like, how am I supposed to get my first job? And I was pretty sure
that I was just going to head back to Kentucky. Like it wasn't going well.
How long did you, how long had you stayed at that point?
A few months, but like maybe three months, like 90 days, 120 days, but it's getting to the point
where I'm like, I had all the money that I was going to have. And, you know, I made this decision,
you know, my parents are like, please come home. And I saw an ad. I mean, this is a true story.
I saw this ad and it was like, I think it was on like monster.com or something like that. I mean,
I maybe had a computer, you know, this is like 1998. And the ad said, looking for a hardworking,
energetic, something, something, something internet. And I'm like, okay, hardworking and
energetic. I think I've still got the something, something internet. I have no idea what that even
means. And it's like, I've got two out of three, I'm just going to apply. And I applied for the job.
I got an interview and the company was based in Pacific Beach. Anyone from San Diego listening
after off of Grand Garnet Boulevard. And I walked into this little, like, I mean, it was an office.
And I went through the interview. And they asked me, you know, like, what do you, what do you
know about cars? And I was like, I know that the company did anything with cars. It was hardworking,
energetic, blah, blah, blah, internet. Like, I didn't know when I was like, cars, I was like, oh,
I've got a Volkswagen Jetta. Like, I love cars. Like, of course, I love cars. And so,
you know, they asked me all these questions. And I'm like walking to the door and thinking,
yet again, I'm not going to get this job. And this is probably it. I'm just going to go back
and maybe figure out how to be an attorney in Kentucky. And I'm walking to the door and the HR
manager who I'd interviewed with, she's like, look, the CEO, you know, he sat through a bit of the
interview, and he told me not to let you get to the door, we want to offer you a job. And I'm like,
I don't even know if I know what you all do. And she's like, we try to sell cars online,
but we just want you to be like our 10th employee. And it was kind of this like moment that I
couldn't believe. And I'm like, what does this mean? She's like, come in, we'll, we'll talk about,
and I think they paid me like 20 grand and talk to me about all these like stock options. And I'm
like, I don't even, I don't have a business degree. I have a lot of great, like, I don't even know
what you're saying to me, but it sounds great. And I signed on the dotted line. And you know,
and I say, I stayed in California, and I worked for a company that was one of the first companies
to build configuration technologies for cars, but they also were selling cars online. It was
like a reverse auction marketplace. Crazy. It was the, so 1999, right? Yes. So 26 years ago,
they're selling cars online. Imagine. Imagine, you know, and what was crazy is like, I mean,
they had me in there, like, there were engineers teaching me how to code. They're like, just input
these things. One of my jobs, Jason, was to like, you know, all of the constraints, like this option
goes with this, but it doesn't go with that. All of that used to be manually entered, like you can
have this color with these floor mats, but you can't have that. I would sit there and manually
enter all of the constraints into the configurator. But the whole thing was we had this thing called
a price war and people would go online, configure a car. It would send their configuration to their
five closest local dealers. And the dealers would go online and bid for their business. So it's like,
oh, you want a black Volkswagen Jetta. We don't have black. We have silver for this much right now,
or you can wait four weeks and we'll get you the one you want. And customers would go online and
have like 30 bids. They picked the one they liked the most. And then they'd show up at the dealership
and like process the transaction. We had one customer do it in like less than 30 minutes.
And for those who don't follow this sort of thing so closely, I mean, now Amazon Autos
is a legitimate thing and you can spy your car online. For some may remember true car
as being a little bit of a marketplace like that. I mean, marketplaces. This was a marketplace before
there were marketplaces. Yeah, I mean, it was a really like I think about it now, like an
unbelievably novel idea. And there was a lot of excitement working there. You know, I'm at this
startup. I mean, I had to work three jobs like to make ends meet. Like so on top of the startup,
I went and did some night jobs to pay for like my rent. But my primary job was working at the
startup company. And you know, and that's where I met one of my greatest mentors, which is like
where the story probably gets even more interesting. Go ahead. So I'm working there. And then at night,
again, you might not know this, but funny story, one of my jobs was I wrote responses,
you know, Tony Robbins, the motivational course, the motivational speaker. Yes.
I was the night intern writing responses to fan mail for people would like be like,
you changed my life. And it might I'd go and work there. And I would type responses to his fans,
just to like, you know, make some extra money. Wow. Wow. I know. But I'm working at the startup.
I'm the night intern for Tony Robbins. And this guy comes to work at at auto fusion,
which is the startup company. And he was like, and still is digital pioneer. And I was lucky
enough to get to work with him. And he's I still talk to him every week. We've been friends for
that long. And he changed my life. You know, he taught me everything about not just cars,
but about life and employment and working and working in the automotive industry. And
I like idolized him for so long, because he made it fun. And, you know, he ultimately he got a job
at Land Rover. And that's, you know, who is that? His name is Dean Evans. And, of course,
yes, he's the best. Like, yes, I think he's the only cell phone number that I actually know right
now. Like I still don't even know my husband's cell phone number, but I know Devin. So Dean who
has gone on to create the Subaru love campaign, even though he's not at Subaru, they still use it.
He created so many different Hyundai Superbowl commercials for those who may not know cars.com.
It goes on and on and on and on. Yeah. You know, with all of his accolades and all of the things
he did, I mean, he truly was, I mean, he was the first person to stand in front of a group of
dealers and be like, okay, you're going to hire someone that's a digital manager. And they're
like, you're crazy. But on top of all of that, he taught me he never took credit for anything. If
I had even been in a room when something happened, he'd be like, she did it. She was the one responsible.
You shouldn't be clapping for me. And I learned so much about, like, I never dreamed of even being
a manager. But if for some reason I was ever going to be a manager, I was like, that's how
I would want to be. Yeah, what a great story. And actually, the configurator
technology business is what led you to Land Rover, where you were brought in as a contractor to help
build the first website, put a configurator on it. Imagine that such a thing did not exist.
And you were really one of the first digital people in the automotive world,
which is so funny because this was not your path anyway. I mean, if it would have been a different
type of industry that you walked into that day, you might be in pharmaceuticals or you might be
who knows, who knows where cell phone batteries, right? Exactly. Yeah,
phone chargers, who knows? Chargers. Yeah. I want to go back to tennis because as a tennis player,
you have to have so much inner strength. You have to have so much confidence, rally back
from the point that you lost. It's deuce or it's advantage the opponent and you've got to come
back with two straight points, three straight points. I mean, did that not form and help build
the construct of who you are? 100%. I mean, tennis, people would always ask me and still do what
keeps you up at night. I'm like very little because when you're an athlete in many regards,
but tennis, you have to put it away and you've got to wake up and be ready for the next point,
the next day, the next moment. Tennis taught me perseverance. It taught me teamwork,
like truly being part of a team, playing collegiate athletics, but I think that ability to not let
something get me so down that I can't find my way out of it. I think that's really what tennis
taught me. After the break, I'll continue my conversation with Laura Schwab. To see more cars
and culture interviews, visit the Cars and Culture YouTube channel, subscribe, comment,
and check out hundreds of conversations with the creators, collectors, and culture makers
who are driving the industry forward.
Welcome back to Cars and Culture here on Serious XM. I'm your host, Jason Stein.
Now the continuation of my conversation with Laura Schwab. To see more cars and culture
interviews, visit the Cars and Culture YouTube channel, subscribe, comment, and check out
hundreds of conversations with the creators, collectors, and culture makers who are driving
the industry forward. What is your time in the car business teach you? That's a big question.
Oh my gosh. I mean, I was in the car industry for 22 years. Okay, one of the top three things
that the car industry taught you because you went through a meteoric rise. I mean,
you know, when I look back on your career and one of the first times that you and I
met, I mean, you were already the director of marketing at JLR. You were responsible for so
much within that company, product, communications, digital data. I mean, Laura, you just, you went
on a rise. Then you were the president of the Americas for Aston Martin. Aston Martin, Laura.
I mean, I know you're not a car girl, but bond, you know, and all of the figures. I know. Yeah.
So what did you learn from all of that? You know, I think obviously there's
personal things. I mean, you know, I sort of divulged something very sacred that happened to me.
And, you know, I spent so long in my life, I think proving someone else wrong. And then I
started proving myself right. And, you know, I learned because if it wasn't for that, again,
I don't think everything would have happened the way it did, you know. And I learned that the greatest
thing I can be is myself. And I know that can sound cliche, but it's not meant to be.
Because people were like, how did it become like, how did you go because of first job at
Land Rover? So Ford buys Land Rover, and I'm on this contract. And they're like, what contract
are you on? I was like, my own. I wrote the contract because I have a lot of agree. And they're
like, well, you're probably, we don't have a job for you. Like no one's on their own contract.
You know, Ford Motor Company, this is a big deal as bought Land Rover. We don't have a job for you.
And I was like, I'll take anything, give me any job. And the only job because the internet job
didn't exist yet was data entry. So my title was data entry. But my night job was the website and
all the things I was doing. And how do you go from data entry to director of marketing or
president of Aston Martin? For so long, I was like, just don't fire me. Like they're going to catch on.
I don't even know what I'm talking about half the time I feel like.
And posture syndrome.
Oh, completely the first decade, probably. But then I'd sit in these rooms and I'm like,
I actually know what I'm talking about. And I do know what I'm doing.
And they might not.
I know. I think I was so nervous that I was even included in the meeting. I didn't know how to
use my voice. And when I finally did and I realized I don't have to sound like everyone else in this
room. I don't have to pitch it the way they do. People started taking notice. So like in a world
of like, what were the greatest lessons? Like the greatest thing I could do was not fit in.
The greatest thing I could do was just be me. And, you know, again, it sounds easy,
but truly I've been told I smile too much. No one's going to take you seriously in cars.
You smile too much. You're too nice. You need to wear a suit. You need to cut your hair. You need
to do this. You need to do that. And when I finally was like, guess what? This is what it looks like.
That's when I think it was like, we need this. This is different. This is interesting thinking.
And people started to notice me. So like the greatest lesson was to really be myself.
And that can sound easy, but it can really feel hard when you're in the pressure bubble of everyone's
working right next to each other and everyone's kind of dressing the exact same and
trying to please the boss or say the right thing. And that was probably my greatest lesson.
You know, other lessons where I can make an impact, you know? Like I might feel like I'm just
one voice or one person, but you know, there was a person who worked for me when I lived in the UK
and there was a rule in place and I didn't agree with it. And I fought it hard and it ended up
meaning that this person got full-time benefits, bonuses that they weren't eligible for. And when
I left Land Rover, I just remember being like, you changed my life. For somebody to say that to you,
because you were willing to fight for something that didn't feel right and that my one voice,
I didn't have a quorum of like hundreds of people. We didn't sign a petition. It was,
I believed in something and I think to know that, you know, I could stand up for people and that
my voice could make a change. I think that obviously was a great lesson too, of course.
You became a very iconic mentor to so many. You know, you were the person fighting the
imposter syndrome who now all of a sudden had people looking at you saying, Laura, what can I
do? And you and I have been in the same rooms where you've been honored as being one of the
leading women in the auto industry. You rose to that point where they turned to you at that
point. That must have been really something for you in an industry that you didn't anticipate
even being in. Yeah, I mean, I think I kind of feel emotional even hearing you talk about it.
I never imagined it was possible because I mean, just being Frank, I'd look in the offices and
there weren't women in those corner offices. Like there wasn't anyone who looked like me and I was
creating my own. Like I was just like, well, that's not going to happen, but that's okay. Like I've
got a job. This is going all right. And I think maybe I forgot or underestimated it when women
would say to me, like, you make me think it's possible, you know, or young women even today
reach out to me and it's like, I want a career in the automotive industry. How do I do that?
You know, I worked at Aston Martin, I was like, we hire women, please apply. Because I think there
was this like, oh gosh, you know, I don't see a woman on stage there, like what do they and I
think knowing that we potentially, you know, it wasn't just me, it's like a whole bunch of people,
my team and not just the women on it, the men as well. You know, I think we hopefully open the
doors for a lot of women to know that that they could have a career in auto and it could be a
great career. Your move to Rivian was a major shift. You left a heritage brand for a high pressure
startup. What convinced you to make the leap? You know, I think it was, I had done so much of what
felt, I mean, there was so many, there's always, I would say every day in the automotive industry
is different. Like people are like, it must be the same. And you know this, no two days feel
the same. And that's, I stayed at Jaguar Landover for 15 years and no two days ever felt the same
and same at Aston Martin. But I saw like what was happening in the industry and there were
big shifts in the industry. You know, we all looked at what Tesla did and has done and is still doing.
And you know, you never want to reach a point that you feel like you stop pushing yourself. And
I really saw an opportunity to challenge myself and challenge my comfort zone. And could I remember
what it was like, you know, I started at a startup company. And to know what it feels like to not
have all of the exact structures in place. And the excitement behind that, you know, and that
doesn't mean that that car companies have been around for over 100 years aren't exciting. They're
very exciting. I think it was just a different, it was so different, right? Like I was used to a
dealer network and all of a sudden, you're not going to have a dealer network. Like what does
that actually mean? Like what does that back to selling cars online? Back to 1999 for me.
So, you know, yeah, I think, you know, anytime I made moves, it was scary.
Kind of back to the tennis thing. I try not to look back and be like, oh, should I have left
Land Rover and gone to Aston? Was that the right call? I don't know. I think, you know, you follow
like your heart, your mind, your soul, your gut. And so I just go for it, right? Yeah.
You've been public about navigating personal challenges during your time at Rivian.
How did the adversity reshape you? And maybe what did you take from your previous experiences
that you then applied when you were in those very public conversations?
Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, I'm glad I've used my voice. Like if I could save all the things
that have happened in my career, in my life, I wish I'd used my voice before, you know, in
law school. I wish I had and I didn't. I think I kind of went into a whole bit. I'm glad that
I've used my voice. And for me, and for, you know, I look at my daughter, I have a nine-year-old
daughter. You know, it's like the lessons I'm teaching her. I want her to know that they
weren't just words, right? And that's really important, raising a young girl that she can
look at me and be like, you know, my mom acts and she, you know, she uses her voice.
Which is what you told many executives, even when you were at previous jobs,
in large forums of female executives, you said, speak up, say what you want to say,
use your voice. Yeah, I think it just feels hard sometimes, you know, like when I think about my
career, you're just like this, this fear of saying the wrong thing or like, we're not allowed to say
that or this is, you know, or we just need to go along with what's being done and, you know, that
if you have an opinion, say it. Like that, I learned that and that was not what the beginning
of my career looked like. It takes, it took a lot of years and I wish I'd had a me talk to me when
I was in my 20s and early 30s. Yeah, yeah. Do you miss the car business?
I do. I miss it a lot, but there is rarely a day that goes by in my life that I don't
talk about the car business. There we go. So you really don't miss the car business.
I don't know. I'm always like, I can't stop talking about it, you know, and in a good way,
because there's all these like beautiful reminders of like friendships and, you know,
connection points. So even just, you know, launching a new company, I think I didn't
realize like how many people like I had connected with in those 22 years and, and like all these
people like rooting for like my success and reaching out to me. And so, so even when I'm like,
oh, I kind of miss the cars. I talk like I've got, you know, dealers that have become my dearest
friends and I talk to them all the time and they're like, oh, it's so exciting or you're never
going to believe what's happening. And I'm like, I don't work there anymore. I can't help you,
but I'm definitely willing to talk about it. Right. Thanks for talking to me about it exactly.
There's really a day that goes by that I don't talk or think about the car industry.
Yeah, maybe you'll end up back in the car industry.
You never know. I never say never on anything, you know, I, the car industry has given me
so much, not just the connections. I think it's given me like who I am in life. It's,
you know, gave me a move to England. You know, I was living, I moved around when,
when I was working for Land Rover, I moved every like couple years. I was never going to get married.
I was like, absolutely not. That's not for me. I moved to England with Land Rover and Jaguar.
I meet my husband. Yeah. Never going to have a kid. I was a surprise. You know, the auto industry
has been unbelievably formative in like, you know, where I've gone and the things I've seen
and the people I've met along the way. So my greatest mentors have come from there.
You know, I'm so thankful for it. I'm so thankful for the, for the journey. And
you know, again, like, why do I love cars? I love how they make people feel.
Yeah. Yeah. It's the best. Well, I'm so thankful that you found your way back to a interview
platform with me. It's been a long time and I have missed being with you and, and I'm very happy
to hear that you're an entrepreneur in a very different sense. And, you know, the girl from
Kentucky is still charting her own path. So what a pleasure to be with you, Laura Schwab.
Thank you so much, Jason. It's really, I mean, look at you doing it. Really. It's so great to
see you. Congrats on all of your success as well. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks for being on
Cars and Culture and we'll look for your, uh, addition, A-D-D-I-T-I-O-M. That's the one. All right.
Wonderful. Thank you, Laura. Thanks, Jason. Thanks again to my guest today, Laura Schwab.
To see more Cars and Culture interviews, visit the Cars and Culture YouTube channel.
Subscribe, comment, check out hundreds of conversations with the creators, collectors,
and culture makers who are driving the industry forward. That's episode 238. I'm your host Jason
Stein. We'll see you down the road.
Request an explanation for:
1 cars
1 cars featured
Request an Explanation
Heard something you'd like explained? We'll add it to this episode.
Sign in to request explanations for terms you heard.
Want to learn more?
Browse our glossary for plain-English explanations of automotive terms, jargon, and concepts.
See something that's not quite right? Our annotations are AI-generated and can sometimes miss the mark.
Click the flag icon on any annotation to suggest a correction.
