The American Financial Services Association recently announced who will be the keynote speaker for the 19th annual Vehicle Finance Conference & Exposition.

Tapped for the opportunity during the event that begins on Jan. 20 in San Francisco is Robin Chase, the founder and former chief executive officer of Zipcar, one of the the largest carsharing companies in the world; Buzzcar, a service that brings together car owners and drivers in a car-sharing marketplace in France; and GoLoco, an online ride sharing community.

AFSA highlighted Chase is on the board of the World Resources Institute and also served on the National Advisory Council for Innovation & Entrepreneurship for the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Intelligent Transportation Systems Program Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of Transportation and the OECD’s International Transport Forum Advisory Board.

Chase has received many awards in the areas of innovation, design and environment, including TIME 100 Most Influential People, Fast Company Fast 50 Innovators and BusinessWeek Top 10 Designers.

This conference is the first event of the year for the vehicle finance industry and is held in conjunction with NADA’s Convention & Expo in San Francisco. 

“Be on the look-out for more confirmed speakers and sessions that will help you deal with the current regulatory, technology and economic environment,” AFSA officials said.

More details can be found at vehiclefinanceconference.com.