By Laryssa Hulcio and Stephen Harber, talent marketing
By Laryssa Hulcio and Stephen Harber, talent marketing
CAPTION: Lucas Crea leaning on a Chevrolet Equinox EV.
Lucas Crea’s journey began with a dream to drive a student-built race car and evolved into leading cutting-edge software initiatives at GM.
From crafting aerodynamic packages as a 19-year-old novice to building data systems that power next-generation vehicles, his story is one of relentless learning and high-octane impact.
Now a software engineering manager, Crea leads a team at GM that’s redefining vehicle data collection, tackling complex systems, and shaping the software-defined future of mobility.
We spoke with Crea to find out his role and GM, and how he got here.
How did your road to GM begin?
It started during the first week of my very first semester as a mechanical engineering undergrad at McGill University in Montreal. I walked into the engineering building and saw what looked like a Formula One car. Naturally, I asked myself, “how the heck do I get to drive that?”
That's when I learned about Formula SAE, a student competition where design teams create, build, and race their own cars. [SAE is a reference to SAE International, a group formerly known as the Society of Automotive Engineers.] That year, a new team was forming to build an electric version of the car. I signed up on the spot and started working on the aerodynamic package of that vehicle.
So there I was: 19 years old, on a brand-new team with a bunch of students that had no experience. And I knew nothing about aerodynamics.
So what did you do?
Aerodynamics is quite a complex field, but I worked hard to pick it up quickly. That same year, I designed and built my first aero package from scratch and learned how to work with composite materials. When I saw the car with the wings that I had designed and manufactured, I was hooked.
By my final year, I was leading the entire team. We built a car that finished second in North America – it was actually the first full carbon fiber electric race car on the continent.
How did you connect with GM?
GM started sponsoring Formula SAE teams in Canada. A group of GM execs, including the person who would eventually become my director, visited McGill to recruit from our team. A few weeks into my final year, I had a job offer from GM, set to start when I graduated the next spring.
In my first job at GM, I joined a control systems team to develop embedded software for the driver mode control system for the C8 Corvette. That same software still runs in GM vehicles today. Now I'm working in the data engineering organization, leading the team focused on vehicle data collection.
Why excites you about the auto industry?
I love the fast-paced environment. You can work on something today that ends up in the hands of thousands of customers by the end of the year. That rapid impact is rewarding.
The best part is, you can actually use and enjoy the product that you built. It's pretty special to see it out in the real world and doing what it's meant to do. (I'm also a hardcore car nerd.)
What’s your biggest achievement at GM so far?
Recently, some of my team was struggling to resolve concerns with software, and the root of the problem was that engineers didn't have access to the right data. I was given the mandate to build and lead a small team to solve this, not just for one but all computer modules across our vehicles.
Not only did we have to understand all the nuances, but we also had to write high-quality software for each of these modules, and deliver on a tight timeline. And we did.
That sounds complicated.
It wasn't easy, but we have an incredible team. In just under six months, we exposed critical data that helped engineering teams identify and resolve hundreds of issues in the process. But that’s just the beginning of the journey.
We're laying the groundwork to build a future where data isn’t just used for fixing issues, but fundamentally transforming how we design, build, and improve our cars.
How is your work-life balance?
Now that my family is growing – I have two kids - I've learned a couple of lessons that I like to live by.
First: if you don't want to get a call in the middle of the night or on the weekend, don't give anyone a reason to make that call. I put in the effort and build high-quality work that pays off in stability and gives us all peace of mind.
I've also come to realize that always being connected and putting in extra hours doesn't necessarily make you more productive. Some disconnecting makes me more effective when I'm back at work. I try to reserve weekends and evenings to recharge, to spend time with my family, to go on long runs, and when I can, to do some DIY renovations, or to play video games.
What are the biggest challenges in your current role?
A big one is that everybody wants access to data from their system, which means our team’s software has to span almost every part of the vehicle. We need to ensure our software works with our current vehicle architecture, while also designing for future platforms. That requires deep cross-domain knowledge, flexibility, and willingness to adapt quickly.
How do you overcome the challenge?
We can achieve anything when we foster a mindset of experimentation. Try things out, learn fast, and don’t be afraid to fail. But also, don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Just build on something that works and adapt proven solutions where you can.
What role do you think GM will play in the future of mobility?
We're making big bets in software-defined vehicles and ensuring quality is front and center. GM has been around for over 100 years. We’ve always played an instrumental role in automotive history. That will continue to be the case for many years to come.
Check out our discussions with other leaders across GM:
Lucas Crea’s journey began with a dream to drive a student-built race car and evolved into leading cutting-edge software initiatives at GM.
From crafting aerodynamic packages as a 19-year-old novice to building data systems that power next-generation vehicles, his story is one of relentless learning and high-octane impact.
Now a software engineering manager, Crea leads a team at GM that’s redefining vehicle data collection, tackling complex systems, and shaping the software-defined future of mobility.
We spoke with Crea to find out his role and GM, and how he got here.
How did your road to GM begin?
It started during the first week of my very first semester as a mechanical engineering undergrad at McGill University in Montreal. I walked into the engineering building and saw what looked like a Formula One car. Naturally, I asked myself, “how the heck do I get to drive that?”
That's when I learned about Formula SAE, a student competition where design teams create, build, and race their own cars. [SAE is a reference to SAE International, a group formerly known as the Society of Automotive Engineers.] That year, a new team was forming to build an electric version of the car. I signed up on the spot and started working on the aerodynamic package of that vehicle.
So there I was: 19 years old, on a brand-new team with a bunch of students that had no experience. And I knew nothing about aerodynamics.
So what did you do?
Aerodynamics is quite a complex field, but I worked hard to pick it up quickly. That same year, I designed and built my first aero package from scratch and learned how to work with composite materials. When I saw the car with the wings that I had designed and manufactured, I was hooked.
By my final year, I was leading the entire team. We built a car that finished second in North America – it was actually the first full carbon fiber electric race car on the continent.
How did you connect with GM?
GM started sponsoring Formula SAE teams in Canada. A group of GM execs, including the person who would eventually become my director, visited McGill to recruit from our team. A few weeks into my final year, I had a job offer from GM, set to start when I graduated the next spring.
In my first job at GM, I joined a control systems team to develop embedded software for the driver mode control system for the C8 Corvette. That same software still runs in GM vehicles today. Now I'm working in the data engineering organization, leading the team focused on vehicle data collection.
Why excites you about the auto industry?
I love the fast-paced environment. You can work on something today that ends up in the hands of thousands of customers by the end of the year. That rapid impact is rewarding.
The best part is, you can actually use and enjoy the product that you built. It's pretty special to see it out in the real world and doing what it's meant to do. (I'm also a hardcore car nerd.)
What’s your biggest achievement at GM so far?
Recently, some teams within GM were struggling to resolve concerns with software, and the root of the problem was that engineers didn't have access to the right data. I was given the mandate to build and lead a small team to solve this, not just for one but all computer modules across our vehicles.
Not only did we have to understand all the nuances, but we also had to write high-quality software for each of these modules, and deliver on a tight timeline. And we did.
That sounds complicated.
It wasn't easy, but we have an incredible team. In just under six months, we exposed critical data that helped engineering teams identify and resolve hundreds of issues in the process. But that’s just the beginning of the journey.
We're laying the groundwork to build a future where data isn’t just used for fixing issues, but fundamentally transforming how we design, build, and improve our cars.
How is your work-life balance?
Now that my family is growing – I have two kids - I've learned a couple of lessons that I like to live by.
First: if you don't want to get a call in the middle of the night or on the weekend, don't give anyone a reason to make that call. I put in the effort and build high-quality work that pays off in stability and gives us all peace of mind.
I've also come to realize that always being connected and putting in extra hours doesn't necessarily make you more productive. Some disconnecting makes me more effective when I'm back at work. I try to reserve weekends and evenings to recharge, to spend time with my family, to go on long runs, and when I can, to do some DIY renovations, or to play video games.
What are the biggest challenges in your current role?
A big one is that everybody wants access to data from their system, which means our team’s software has to span almost every part of the vehicle. We need to ensure our software works with our current vehicle architecture, while also designing for future platforms. That requires deep cross-domain knowledge, flexibility, and willingness to adapt quickly.
How do you overcome the challenge?
We can achieve anything when we foster a mindset of experimentation. Try things out, learn fast, and don’t be afraid to fail. But also, don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Just build on something that works and adapt proven solutions where you can.
What role do you think GM will play in the future of mobility?
We're making big bets in software-defined vehicles and ensuring quality is front and center. GM has been around for over 100 years. We’ve always played an instrumental role in automotive history. That will continue to be the case for many years to come.
Check out our discussions with other leaders across GM:
- A few minutes with GM Formula 1 aerodynamics engineer Anthony Heenan
- A few minutes with Brian Gibbons: Experienced tech leader and GM HR Director