By: Infiniti Canada Inc
July 25 2016

Finalists vie for coveted year-long placement with Infiniti and the Renault Sport Formula One™ Team

Mississauga, Ontario – After a three-month global search for the best up-and-coming engineering talent, 10 finalists have been selected to progress to the Infiniti Engineering Academy Canadian national final, to be held in Montreal on July 28.

Now entering its third edition and officially launched in Canada for the first time in 2016, the Infiniti Engineering Academy provides students with the opportunity to secure a year-long placement to work with the Infiniti Motor Company and the Renault Sport Formula One™ Team.

Following a comprehensive recruitment process, the very best student engineers from Canada have been carefully chosen to attend the final selection event.

The 10 Canadian finalists are:

1. Raymond Alexander Ryerson University
2. Antonio Badea Concordia University
3. Felix Coutrier-Lamy McGill University
4. Santiago De La Rosa University of Calgary
5. Ian Finlayson Dalhousie University
6. Alexander Grant Concordia University
7. Zeyad Hazem Saleh McGill University
8. Rachel Kendall University of Manitoba
9. Kevin Mazur University of Manitoba
10. Matteo Putt McGill University

The national final, a high pressure assessment judged by senior engineers from both Infiniti and the Renault Sport Formula One Team™, will see the finalists evaluated on both their technical knowledge and practical skills. The judging panel for the Canadian final includes Ralph Koyess, Vehicle Performance Engineer with Renault Sport Formula One Team™; Stephen Lester, Managing Director, Infiniti Canada; and Andy Todd, Director of Body & Exterior Engineering, Infiniti Technical Centre Europe.

Winners of the 2015 Infiniti Engineering Academy at work during their year-long placement with Infiniti Motor Company and the Renault Sport Formula One™ Team

“I’ve had the chance to meet a previous winner of the Infiniti Engineering Academy and the opportunity and experience gained is truly tremendous,” said Stephen Lester, managing director, Infiniti Canada. “We’re thrilled that the program is such a success and that this year, one Canadian student will earn this career opportunity of a lifetime.”

This unique automotive-to-motorsport training program for brilliant young engineers, possible thanks to Infiniti’s Technical Partnership with the Renault Sport Formula One™ Team, has attracted a record number of entries. The Infiniti Engineering Program received 4,108 global registrations, from 44 different countries – a 100 per cent increase from the 2015 edition and almost a 300 per cent increase from its inaugural year in 2014.

“The extraordinary level of interest in this year’s Infiniti Engineering Academy has been absolutely fantastic. Canadian students have had the opportunity to enter the Academy for the first time this year and have shown that they want to use the Academy to gain vital engineering experience and launch their careers. This is due to the unique nature of the placement, which combines work experience in both Automotive and Formula One™” said Tommaso Volpe, Global Director, Infiniti Motorsport.

“We are absolutely delighted with the Academy winners that we have working with us at Enstone this year,” said Bob Bell, Chief Technical Officer, Renault Sport Formula One Team™. “The students have taken on real jobs with the team and have been a big asset to us as we continue to strengthen our technical resource. We are looking forward to welcoming a Canadian student to the Team for the first time this year following the final in Montreal,” concluded Bell.

For more information on the Infiniti Engineering Academy, or to register your interest for next year’s program, please visit http://academy.infiniti.com

About the INFINITI Engineering Academy:

The INFINITI Engineering Academy is Infiniti’s global search for the best and brightest engineering talent to work at Infiniti Motor Company and the Renault Sport Formula One™ Team.

In an era where automotive and Formula One™ technologies are growing ever closer, the Academy offers a unique opportunity to train young talents across the two industries. This is the third year for the academy and, with the involvement of our Renault-Nissan Alliance Partner, promises to be more exciting than ever.

The Academy offers seven students a unique opportunity to secure a once in a lifetime work placement. Selected students will go through an integrated training and mentoring program with world leading engineers. The placement includes return travel to the UK, shared accommodation, a shared Infiniti premium executive vehicle, full salary and all necessary employment processing and permits.

Regional Final selection events are taking place in the following locations:

About Infiniti

Infiniti Motor Company Ltd. is headquartered in Hong Kong with sales operations in over 50 countries. The Infiniti brand was launched in 1989. Its range of premium automobiles is currently built in manufacturing facilities in Japan, the United States, United Kingdom and China. Infiniti plans to also expand manufacturing into Mexico by 2017.

Infiniti design studios are located in Atsugi-Shi near Yokohama, London, San Diego and Beijing. Infiniti is in the middle of a major product offensive. The brand has been widely acclaimed for its daring design and innovative driver-assistance technologies.

From the 2016 season, Infiniti is a technical partner of the Renault Sport Formula One Team, contributing its expertise in hybrid performance.

More information about Infiniti, its Total Ownership Experience® and its industry leading technologies can be found at Infiniti.ca.

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