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Ahmed Iqbal, Head of Industry for Automotive at TikTok, joins Jan Griffiths in our latest episode to share his unique journey from selling cars in college to leading innovative strategies that bridge legacy auto practices with modern digital platforms.

Starting at Audi, Ahmed quickly rose through the ranks, learning the art of leadership, the power of listening, and the importance of human connection along the way. His path took an unexpected turn when he ventured into the tech world, where he blends innovative approaches with creative marketing.

Now at TikTok, Ahmed leads a team that is transforming how the automotive world connects with consumers. TikTok is proving to be more than just an entertainment app—it’s a vital hub for car enthusiasts and commerce. Ahmed’s team helps brands make the most of this space, whether it’s launching new cars or reaching potential buyers through engaging authentic content.

But the conversation doesn’t stop at marketing. Ahmed also explores the changing expectations of younger generations in the workforce, the need for a balance between legacy automotive practices and new technologies, and the traits leaders must embrace.

Whether you’re curious about TikTok’s impact on the industry or want to learn how to lead during times of change, this episode is packed with insights that automotive leaders and marketers can’t afford to miss.

Themes discussed in this episode:

• What consumer behavior trends indicate about the future of automotive marketing on platforms like TikTok
• The strategic role of TikTok’s automotive team in building partnerships and guiding brands through the platform’s unique opportunities
• Why the auto industry must now adopt new strategies to address emerging challenges instead of relying on outdated tools
• The challenge of integrating legacy automotive practices with the innovative approaches of new EV startups
• The need to shift from traditional top-down leadership to a more empathetic and inclusive approach that resonates with younger generations
• The importance of creating a company culture where every employee feels valued and has the opportunity to contribute to a larger vision

Featured guest: Ahmed Iqbal

What he does: Ahmed Iqbal is an accomplished leader with over a decade of experience at the intersection of automotive and media technology. At Audi, he led transformative initiatives, including launching electrification strategies, developing new revenue models, and bringing the retail experience into the digital era. As Twitter’s Global Head of Auto, he built a global partnership strategy across 13 markets, delivering value to automakers while driving growth. Now, as TikTok’s Head of Industry for Automotive, Ahmed leads efforts to connect automotive brands with TikTok's dynamic audience through innovative products and full-funnel marketing strategies

On Leadership: “I didn't really realize until later in my career that the breadth of, let's say, passions and interests of a leader play a big role in how you can impact or make an impact with people, not just for business results, but how you connect with your team, how you inspire your team, how you show your team sides of you that are important to create that connection outside of just a manager-employee relationship.”

Episode Highlights:

[00:02:16] Ahmed’s Professional Journey: In an inspiring journey through the automotive industry, Ahmed reveals how his early sales experience and the power of listening shaped his leadership path from Sales Analyst to Chief of Staff at Audi.

[00:11:18] Global Lead of Auto and What? Ahmed shares how a chance lunch conversation at Cannes led him to a role that transformed marketing strategies at Twitter.

[00:15:31] TikTok Meets Automotive: Ahmed describes how TikTok uses its large audience to transform the automotive industry by creating genuine connections between consumers and brands

[00:20:46] From Dance Moves to Data: Embracing TikTok's evolution, Ahmed reveals how the platform now attracts a diverse audience beyond Gen Z, making it a vibrant hub for entertainment, information, and commerce.

[00:22:15] Rethinking Leadership for a New Generation: "Empathy is now an expectation," Ahmed states as he shares his views on what younger generations are looking for in workplace culture.

[00:26:21] Bridging Legacy and Future: Ahmed shares the importance of actively listening to team interests and weaving the rich legacy of the automotive industry with modern innovation to inspire and engage the next generation.

[00:29:25] Ahmed's Top Picks: Ahmed shares the authentic leadership traits that resonate with him the most. He believes leaders must listen, build trust, and know when to empower or support their team, all while keeping the bigger picture in sight to inspire meaningful contributions

Top Quotes:

[00:16:53] Ahmed: “We have a massive audience of over 170 million users. It's like more than half of the US, and one-third of those users have said they're in the market for a car, right? And so, we have the audience, and whenever you fear that you have a big chunk of the in-market audience as a car brand or as an OEM or dealer, you got to pay attention to that. And so therein lies building out a team that focuses on figuring out how to help. So, what our team does, is we figure out and pretty much build out the partnerships with the OEMs, with the retail marketplace companies, and as well as the dealer groups.”

[00:18:11] Ahmed: “TikTok is a very young platform in comparison to the marketplace we're in, and what we know for sure is that consumer behavior is here very strongly. The consumer journey is here very strongly. What do I mean by that? People are coming here not just to be entertained by videos but they're coming here to find out information. They're coming here with the intention to search, they're coming here for discovery, and they're also coming here to engage with content that leads them to a path of sales conversion. They want to be consuming content to help get informed. And I think that's a big, big thing to keep in mind.”

[00:25:42] Ahmed: “We're an industry that's led by engineers and led by that structure. That's honestly the way it should have been for a long time because the biggest challenge back then was quality and safety. And in order to create great quality and safety standards, you need a process you can repeat. And a lot of that is not up for debate. You got to kind of keep it very seamless and top down type of decision making. But we've solved those problems by and large. We've made huge strides as an industry on safety and quality. And so, now it's the challenges have started to change. So, we have to think about, do we want to use the same tools to solve new challenges, or do we want to start to rethink about how we approach these things?”

[00:30:51] Ahmed: “The things we did to get us from zero to one or one to five are not going to be the things that get us from five to a hundred. So, we have to change as the business changes; we have to change as the dynamic of the team changes, people leave, and new people come in.”

[00:32:15] Ahmed: “When I talk to my team at TikTok, it's an ad revenue company where we're focusing on, we always have quarterly goals, like every manufacturer, but I try to get them to think about the big picture and say, "Hey, we're at a really hot platform, a unique platform that is at the center of conversation everywhere. You're here, and we're building solutions and connecting with people. We're at the forefront right now of the ascendance of this company. So, you're going to be able to tell some really cool stories in a few years once we accomplish the goals that we've set out to do." So, I try to keep that big picture out there all the time so that people realize that their work is going into a bigger story for themselves and for the company, not just to hit some sales target.”

Mentioned in this episode:

This episode is sponsored by Lockton, click here to learn more

[TRANSCRIPT]

This episode is brought to you by Lockton. Lockton redefines business insurance and people's solutions with a personal touch. Their global team of 11,000 is driven by independence, not quarters, to tailor success for your business. Discover the Lockton difference, where your goals become their mission. Independence is not just how you think, but how you act.

Can you imagine starting life as a Sales Analyst at Audi and then becoming head of industry automotive for TikTok. Imagine that. Well, how about we find out the answer? Today, I am thrilled to bring on the show Ahmed Iqbal. He is Head of Industry for Automotive for TikTok. Ahmed, welcome.

My beloved dad is such a salesman at heart. He was shopping around for a new car for my mom and visited every Honda dealer within an hour of a drive and spent a ton of time trying to get the best price. And when he landed his best price, the closer was, "My son is a freshman in college, and I'll buy this Honda Accord from you at the least special if you also let him get a job here in the summer." And he got one of the sales managers to close that deal, and that's how I got my first job. I was actually selling new cars at a Honda dealership because my dad negotiated me into the deal, so this is kind of predestined.

So, I took the chance, I went out there, and then this is where the alcohol piece comes in. I told him, I said, "Okay, I'm joining the global brands team. I know automotive, and I'm going to learn media but to be fair, I would love to see an industry that does media really, really well because I'm a very visual learner, and I want to see a good case study in action. So, can I get one of the clients that covers another sector?" And they said, "You know, Anheuser-Busch is a really strong marketer, and you can learn a lot from them, and we're just warming up a relationship with them, so maybe you can tag along and work there." And because the global brand's portfolio was so small and Anheuser-Busch was the only one Twitter was working with at the time at a global scale, I took on that account, and there I was the leading Global Strategy for Automotive brands and then leading strategy for Global Alcohol.

so I got to ask you this question. I mean, come on, Ahmed, automotive and TikTok in the same sentence. What is TikTok doing in automotive, and how did you get there? And what are you doing?

So, you know, people have told me, Ahmed, they keep telling me, "You should be on TikTok." And I'm like, "Yeah, no, no. I'm not going to be doing any stupid dances," but that's the wrong mindset to have, isn't it?

So, if I have a team that is really interested in, I get the sentiment that they're more interested in innovation and technology versus traditional manufacturing, that's the lens I have to bring the message to them. And it's like, Guys, this is what's happening; you may not understand this specific piece of how dealership relationships are changing, but this is an innovative thing, right? The direct-to-consumer model is coming online with these EV companies, and OEMs are starting to look at it and dabble with it and see how they can loop dealers in. It may seem uninteresting from that point, but it's a massive innovation in the way that we do business today. So, that's just one example, but I think the key for me is to listen to understand what exactly is their baseline. And then, I think the other part of it is there's a hundred years of history, and it's a pretty freaking cool history. There are so many cool stats that have come out, anecdotes that come out of Detroit on who built the nine-to-five work week, who built the standards for how to build a factory and the assembly line, all these things that we still feel and see today. There's awesome stories. And then, you go back to the cousins of Volkswagen and Porsche, and you go back to some of those stories, and you see some of them, the Ferrari-Lamborghini rivalry, were all also interesting, fascinating stories that have hit the big screen, but there's just so many cool stories that I think bring you back to, oh my God, this is a very old industry with some really cool stories that I can connect with. But also, there's a lot of innovation happening here, and it's not just an auto thing. No, this is a bigger technology thing that's happening. So, not to ramble, but just to go back to the question, I think it's important to listen to them and understand what about the industry or the job excites them and bring information and objectives to them through those lenses.[00:29:23] Jan Griffiths: I love that. I love that. Now, you've taken a look at the 21 traits of authentic leadership. Give me a few of those traits that resonate with you, and tell me why.

Thank you for listening to the Automotive Leaders Podcast. Click the listen link in the show notes to subscribe for free on your platform of choice. And don't forget to download the 21 Traits of Authentic Leadership PDF by clicking on the link below. And remember, stay true to yourself, be you, and lead with Gravitas, the hallmark of authentic leadership.