What does it take to transform the way a major automaker designs and validates its products — and who really drives that change?

In this episode, Chad Jackson sits down with Vijay Sanikal, a seasoned automotive engineer and proud self-described change agent who has worked across OEMs including GM and Stellantis, tier one and two suppliers, and Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) software providers. Vijay brings a rare 360-degree view of the product development ecosystem, and he doesn't hold back on what it actually takes to move organizations forward.

Vijay and Chad dig into the evolution of simulation-driven design — from the days when CAE was treated as offshore "extra work," to today's world where AI-assisted tools can optimize a design in real time without a human ever pushing a button. Vijay explains how the value proposition for simulation has fundamentally shifted, and why today's engineering leaders are far more prepared to invest in digital twin technologies than they were even a decade ago.

But this episode is just as much about people as it is about technology. Vijay shares his framework for what makes a change agent effective — from winning stakeholders without authority, to building cross-functional innovation forums, to knowing when to call an initiative a silo and when to reframe it as a stepping stone.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why innovation needs to come from the ground up — and how leaders can create the conditions for it
• How the roles of designer, simulation engineer, and requirements team must work in concert for change to stick
• The two ways AI is currently being integrated into CAE workflows — and what's coming next
• Why compute cost is an underappreciated risk in the shift to simulation-heavy development
• What green flags (and red flags) tell a change agent whether an initiative is worth championing
• Vijay's career advice for the next generation of engineers in a world where specialization is everything

Whether you're leading a digital transformation initiative or trying to build a case for simulation investment, this conversation offers hard-won perspective from someone who has lived it across multiple organizations and continents.