Fermata Energy, leading supplier of Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) technology, has appointed Alexandra Cattelan as its Chief Operating Officer (COO), the company announced on December 4. In her strategic role, Cattelan is slated to direct Fermata Energy’s operations, including engineering, primarily focusing on accelerating the commercial expansion of its innovative V2X bidirectional technology platform. Cattelan brings more than three decades of experience in electric propulsion, lithium b...

In a press release on Dec. 4, DENSO Corporation has announced changes to its organizational structure, executives’ responsibilities and personnel, effective January 1, 2024.   DENSO has stated at "DENSO DIALOG DAY 2023" that it will evolve from being “a Tier 1 supplier that supports the auto industry” to “a Tier 1 supplier that supports a mobility-centered society”, aiming to maximize the value of the entire mobility society, in addition to vehicles. To achieve this, DENSO has ...

Antolin has announced the appointment of Emma Antolín Granet as its new Vice-Chair, effective January 1, 2024. According to a press release dated December 1, Emma will take over from María Helena Antolín Raybaud, who will continue to be associated with the company in various family decision-making bodies. Emma Antolín’s priorities as Vice-Chair will focus on supporting the company's strategic transformation, particularly in the areas of corporate governance and sustainability. She has b...

Stellantis North America has appointed two executives to key roles in support of the Jeep brand as it prepares for its electric offensive in 2024. William Peffer has been named responsible for Jeep brand North America, having joined the company in 2020 as CEO of Maserati North America. Before this, he was COO of Kia Motors America. Jim Morrison has been named responsible for the newly formed Jeep Performance Parts business, where he will lead the effort to capitalize on significant growth opp...

In a press release on Nov. 30, Porsche Engineering announced Nazif Mehmet Yazici as the new CEO of its new North American subsidiary based in the Los Angeles area. Porsche Engineering Services North America, the latest subsidiary of the international technology services provider, focuses on vehicle and software development for market-specific functions and digital services, including their verification, validation and quality assurance. Yazici began his tenure at Porsche AG in 2007 as a qu...

Nvidia is making strategic moves to bolster its autonomous driving capabilities in China, riding the wave of automakers' rush to integrate self-driving features into their latest vehicles. The company is actively recruiting engineers, technicians and professionals to fill 25 key roles within five business units, based on a report published by Automotive News on Nov. 30. According to information shared on the Chinese instant messenger app WeChat, the recruitment drive will focus on positions a...

InDrive, a global mobility and urban services platform, has appointed Stephen Kruger as its chief technology and product officer. Kruger will be responsible for implementing inDrive's technology and product development strategies as the company expands into new geographies and business verticals, according to a Business Wire release on Nov. 28. With over 20 years of experience in technology leadership, Kruger joins inDrive from Careem (Dubai) where he served as chief technology officer. ...

Norwegian battery-maker Freyr Battery announced Nov. 27 that the company is optimizing its organizational structure, including leadership changes aimed at aligning resources with Freyr’s business priorities. Under the battery company’s new organizational structure, the following members of Freyr’s executive leadership team will assume elevated responsibilities with immediate effect: a) Andreas Bentzen has been promoted to the role of chief technology officer. Bentzen has been working on...

ChargePoint, a leading provider of electric vehicle charging networks in the US, announced Nov. 16 that the company has appointed Rick Wilmer as its new president and CEO with immediate effect. In conjunction with the appointment, Wilmer has also joined the ChargePoint board of directors, it added. Wilmer has been serving ChargePoint as the COO since July 2022, where he has been responsible for product management, development, engineering, manufacturing and supply chain, as well as customer e...

Reimagined Parking, formerly known as Reef Parking, has undergone significant changes to position itself for continued growth. Mubadala Capital, a global sovereign investor with over $280 billion in assets, has led a strategic recapitalization of the company. As part of the changes, Mubadala Capital has become the new controlling shareholder, and key additions have been made to the senior management team, a PRNewswire release dated Nov. 20 said. The company has appointed Russ Pillar as its...

CEO Kyle Vogt of General Motors' robot-taxi unit, Cruise, has resigned from the company after apologizing to staff for the company's safety review of its US fleet, according to a Reuters' report on Nov. 20. Vogt offered little explanation for his resignation, simply stating that he has resigned from his position. His departure comes as a setback for the autonomous vehicle industry, which relies on public trust and cooperation from regulators. Cruise had recently expanded its ambitions to offe...

Rich Kramer, chairman, CEO and president of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. will retire in 2024 after 24 years of service, including 14 years as the company's CEO. Kramer led Goodyear's transformation into a technology-driven mobility company and delivered five consecutive years of annual segment operating income, the highest in the company's history. Under his leadership, Goodyear also reduced costs, streamlined manufacturing and invested in growth. Kramer guided the company through the COV...

Here Technologies has appointed Mike Nefkens as its new CEO effective Jan. 2, 2024, it said in a press release on Nov. 9. Nefkens brings over three decades of experience in technology, IT, software, cloud services, internet of things (IoT) and automotive industries. He previously served as president and CEO of Resideo Technologies and was a longtime executive at Hewlett-Packard. Nefkens currently acts as a senior advisor and CEO coach at Boston Consulting Group. “I am honored t...

Adient has announced the appointment of current executive vice president and CFO, Jerome Dorlack, as the president and CEO of the company, in a press release dated Nov. 8. Dorlack will succeed Del Grosso as president and CEO as well as a member of Adient's board after Del Grosso announced his retirement effective Dec. 31, 2023. Mark Oswald, currently Adient's vice president treasurer of investor relations and corporate communications, will be appointed executive vice president and CFO, succee...

According to a press release dated Nov. 8, Continental has appointed Gerd Bartels as the new head of its Specialty Tires business area, effective Nov. 1, 2023. Bartels, 55, is responsible for overseeing the company's tire solutions and services for various industrial applications as well as two-wheeler and racing tires. Bartels reports directly to Christian Kötz, a member of Continental's executive board and head of Tires. Bartels succeeds Wolfgang Thomale, who was recently appointed head of Co...

Fisker has appointed David King as the chief technology officer, effective immediately, according to a press statement dated Nov. 3. King, who joined the company in 2021, replaced Burkhard Huhnke. King had previously served as Fisker's senior vice president and led the development and launch of the Ocean body program in Graz, Austria. King will now lead Fisker's global engineering and software teams in the US, Europe, India and mainland China, reporting to Chairman and CEO Henrik Fisker. King...

Joyson Safety Systems (JSS), a leading global supplier of mobility safety components and systems, on Nov. 1 announced JinHui (Philip) Shan as acting CEO of the company, taking over the top leadership position from Tao Liu, who has decided to retire from JSS. According to the company's press release, Shan has been with JSS since the launch of the company in April 2018, holding various positions throughout the Asian market (most recently president of the Asian region) and serving as an integral...

Group14 Technologies, a leading supplier of advanced battery materials, has appointed Don Kersey as plant manager at its second commercial US Battery Active Materials factory (BAM-2), which is located in Moses Lake, Wash., the company said October 26. In its press note, the company said that as plant manager, Kersey will oversee all Moses Lake operations across the manufacturing, engineering and maintenance teams at BAM-2, which is currently on track to finish construction in 2024. Group14...

At a time faced with challenges over production shutdown owing to strikes at multiple plants, Ford Motor Co. has announced a management reorganization, promoting Combustion Vehicle Unit Chief Kumar Galhotra to the position of COO, even as the ongoing United Auto Workers' (UAW's) strike shows little signs of ending. Galhotra, who previously headed the Ford Blue unit that makes gas and hybrid vehicles, will now lead the automaker's global industrial system, Reuters reported October 19. Andrew F...

Swedish carmaker Volvo Cars has appointed Francesca Gamboni to head its procurement and supply chain team, starting from October 16, the company had announced via a press note issued on September 13. Gamboni’s appointment comes at a time when the carmaker is aggressively pursuing its goal of transitioning to become fully electric by 2030. The company said that Gamboni will be responsible for further evolving its lean, sustainable and regionalized supply chain, strengthening the backbone of ...

Antolin's board of directors has appointed Cristina Blanco Santo Tomas as the company's new CEO. Blanco will lead the company's transformation process to position it as a leading supplier of technological solutions for automobile interiors in the new electric mobility era, it said in a press release on October 11.  The new CEO brings extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of the company, having spent over 22 years at Antolin. As CFO and a member of the executive committee, she playe...

US-based battery-materials company Sila Nanotechnologies has appointed Rosendo Alvarado as the plant manager for its first mass-scale production facility in Moses Lake, Wash., the company announced October 4. Alvarado, who has been serving Sila as head of Operations, is an industry veteran with an experience of more than 30 years. In his new role as the plant manager, Alvarado will oversee all aspects of the plant functions from staffing and commissioning to orchestrating operations and en...

According to a press release on October 4, David French has been appointed as the new CEO of SigmaSense, a company that specializes in digital signal processing (DSP)-based sensing systems. French brings a wealth of experience in the semiconductor industry, having held various executive positions at companies such as NXP Semiconductors, Cirrus Logic and Analog Devices. He has been instrumental in the early productization and broad adoption of DSPs. The appointment of French comes at a time wh...

Continental Engineering Services (CES), a subsidiary of Continental AG, has appointed Jean-Michel Verdier as its new managing director effective September 1. Verdier, a seasoned engineer with over two decades of experience in the automotive industry, succeeds Christoph Falk-Gierlinger, who is leaving the company after three years, a company press release said October 4. Verdier previously led the worldwide research and development (R&D) organization for the Wheel Brake Solutions segment a...

Inalfa Roof Systems Group, a global leader in the automotive industry based in the Netherlands, has appointed Georges Andary as its new president and CEO, effective October 1, a PR Newswire press release dated October 2 said. Andary brings over 28 years of executive leadership experience in the automotive industry, with a strong emphasis on customer relations, integrated collaboration, individual ownership and a commitment to continuous innovation. Inalfa Roof Systems develops and produces...

Bernard Schäferbarthold will become the new CEO of Hella GmbH & Co., effective Jan. 1, 2024. This decision was made by the shareholder committee of Hella at its meeting on September 29. Schäferbarthold will succeed Michel Favre, who has mutually agreed with the shareholder committee on an early termination of his mandate. Schäferbarthold, who has been a member of the management board responsible for Hella's Finance and Controlling corporate function since November 2016, has signed a long-...

Gérald Mentil has been appointed president and CEO of the Lighting division of Plastic Omnium, effective October 1, a company press release dated September 29 read. Mentil has been a member of the executive committee of Plastic Omnium since May 13. The appointment comes after Plastic Omnium created its new Lighting division in October 2022, dedicated to automotive lighting, following the acquisitions of VLS and AMLS Osram. Mentil has extensive experience in the automotive industry, havi...

The election committee of AB Volvo has proposed that Pär Boman be appointed as the new chairman and board member at the Annual General Meeting in March 2024. As previously announced, Carl-Henric Svanberg, AB Volvo’s current chairman of the board, has declined reelection, a company press release said on September 22. Anders Oscarsson, a member of the AB Volvo election committee, said, “Pär Boman has extensive experience from serving on the boards of many Swedish listed companies in ...

Los Angeles-based electric-vehicle maker Faraday Future Intelligent Electric has appointed Matthias Aydt as its new global CEO, effective September 29. Aydt, who has been with the company for over seven years, will replace Xuefeng Chen, who took the top job at the company in November 2022. Chen will resume his prior duties as CEO of Faraday Future's China business and also take on a new role as the company's executive vice president of Global Industrialization. Aydt has over 40 years of experien...

Continental has announced that Ismail Dagli will take charge of the company’s Autonomous Mobility business division from October, according to a company press statement on September 20. Dagli will succeed Frank Petznick, the outgoing business head. Dagli has been in charge of Continental’s Smart Mobility business area since the beginning of 2022. The division oversees business involving mobility services, fleet operators and commercial vehicle manufacturers within the automotive group sec...

Electric-vehicle-drivetrain maker Saietta Group PLC on September 20 announced the appointment of David Woolley as CEO, effective October 20. According to the company, Tony Gott, who has been acting as interim CEO since April, will continue as executive chairman until the end of the financial year, when he will revert to his previous role as non-executive chairman. With experience in leading senior positions over his 35 years of corporate career, Woolley spent 10 years between 2011 and 2022...

To bolster its customer-focused transformation, US automaker Ford Motor Co. announced key leadership appointments on September 12. Elena Ford, Ford’s chief customer experience officer, is named chief dealer engagement officer, effective September 12. In this role, she will work closely with Ford’s 10,000 dealers worldwide to accelerate their transformation into a competitive differentiator across Ford’s global businesses. The original equipment manufacturer said Elena Ford and dealers g...

In a press release announcement on September 7, Denso, a mobility supplier, has announced a change of responsibility for its senior executive officer and personnel changes of senior directors, effective October 1.   Change of responsibility of senior executive officer: Yoshifumi Kato — currently chief technology officer (CTO), head of Advanced Devices Business Group, Advanced Mobility Systems Business Development Division and president of Mirise Technologies — to...

In a press release announcement on August 31, STMicroelectronics said that it will supply BorgWarner with the third-generation 750-V Silicon Carbide (SiC)-power metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) dice for their Viper-based power module. This power module is used in BorgWarner’s traction-inverter platforms for several current and future Volvo Cars' electric vehicles. “This collaboration will give Volvo Cars the opportunity to further increase the attractiveness of...

Manja Greimeier has been appointed as the new head of Original Equipment (OE) for Continental’s Tires Group sector, effective August 1. She will be tasked with the company’s global OE business for passenger and commercial vehicles, according to a press release dated August 30. David O’Donnell, who previously held the position, is now responsible for the global research and development activities for the manufacturer’s passenger car tire replacement business. Greimeier brings to the...

SAIC-GM has established its software and digital business organization, and appointed Wang Chendong and Tyson Becker as vice presidents to lead it, it said in a press release on August 25. Wang and Becker will establish a local team to design, develop and operate software solutions and services for intelligent connected and digital experiences for Chinese customers. Wang previously served as product, marketing and strategy director of SAIC-GM Connectivity and Experience, executive d...

In a press release on August 16, Synopsys announced that its board of directors has appointed Sassine Ghazi as president and CEO effective Jan. 1, 2024. At that time, Aart de Geus, chair and CEO, will transition into the role of executive chair of Synopsys’ board of directors. Ghazi also joined Synopsys’ board of directors, effective August 13. “I am ecstatic about Sassine’s transition into the CEO role,” said de Geus. “With 25 years of his career at Synopsys, Sassine embodies our...

Global thermal management and pneumatic-comfort technologies provider for the automotive industry, Gentherm, on August 16 announced the appointment of Vishnu Sundaram as senior vice president and chief technology officer, effective September 5. The company said, in this role, Sundaram will lead Gentherm’s technology strategy, advanced product engineering, longer-term research and development (R&D) and the company’s partnership ecosystem to continue Gentherm’s heritage of introducing...

Germany-based automotive supplier group Continental announced on August 16 the appointment of Boris Mergell as head of its User Experience (UX) business, which the company said is the "new horsepower" and a game-changer in tomorrow’s mobility.  Starting September 1, Mergell will take over as head of the UX business area at Continental Automotive. He will drive the development of forward-looking display solutions, head-up displays and so-called UX assets in the form of software function...

South Korean automotive thermal and energy-management solutions supplier Hanon Systems announced the appointment of two co-CEOs. According to a company press release dated August 10, its board of directors has approved the appointment of Nurdal Kücükkaya and Ramachandran (Subu) Nagasubramony as co-CEOs of the company with immediate effect. Significance: Nagasubramony was appointed co-CEO along with the promotion to president. He leads the company alongside President and Co-CEO Nurda...

Volkswagen of America, a fully-owned subsidiary of German carmaker Volkswagen AG, has appointed Lyndon Lie as the company’s new chief engineering officer, the company announced August 3. The new appointment is part of the company’s plan of expanding its leadership team, and design and engineering capabilities in North America. Lie, who will be based in Chattanooga, Tenn., brings extensive vehicle-engineering experience that will help the company drive new innovation, including design, ...

Mercedes-Benz Group’s supervisory board has reappointed Ola Källenius as chairman of the board of management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG until May 21, 2029, the company announced July 27. The board has also extended the contract of Markus Schäfer as the chief technology officer until May 21, 2026. As chief technology officer, Schäfer will be the board of management member responsible for Development and Procurement at the German luxury-car maker. The company also announced that Ren...

The board of directors of Kongsberg Automotive ASA (KA) has appointed Linda Nyquist-Evenrud as interim president and CEO effective July 25. Nyquist-Evenrud comes from the position of executive vice president of KA’s Flow Control Systems (FCS) business unit and is part of the executive management. She brings more than 19 years of experience in the automotive industry, starting at KA as sales manager for Raufoss Couplings in 2008, and advancing to senior vice president of the Couplings business ...

Norway-based producer of advanced battery materials Vianode has appointed Burkhard Straube as the new CEO with effect from October 1, the company had said May 15. Straube is currently serving as the president of the Graphite Solutions Business Unit at SGL Carbon, a position he has held since 2015. Notably, Straube will bring onboard his extensive experience, which also includes serving BASF and DyStar in leadership positions. Commenting on Straube’s appointment, Asbjørn Søvik, chair of...

Leoni AG announced that Klaus Rinnerberger has taken over as CEO, in a press release dated July 14. Rinnerberger succeeds Aldo Kamper, who left his post March 31. The appointment was first announced in April. Rinnerberger has been a member of the supervisory board of Leoni AG since May 2021 and was elected its chairman in May 2022. “The automotive industry is my home and I am delighted to be taking on responsibility as CEO at Leoni, particularly now. Financial recovery is on its finish...

Volkswagen has made new appointments in its top executive team in order to strengthen its leadership as the German carmaker prepares to step up its transition to electric vehicles while developing new capabilities in areas such as components, software, EV charging, battery and others. On July 12, VW announced that there will be personnel changes at its software unit Cariad SE, Bentley Motors Ltd., Volkswagen AG, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Volkswagen Group Components from September 1...

GlobalFoundries (GF), one of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturers, announced July 11 that its newly appointed CFO Tim Stone will depart with immediate effect. “Tim Stone and GF have agreed that he will not assume his duties as CFO for GF and will depart the company effective July 11th,” the company said in a statement July 11. David Reeder will remain as GF’s CFO through the end of 2023, supporting the selection of a new CFO and ensuring an orderly transition to new fi...

London-based GKN Automotive, a global leader in drive systems, has made three new appointments to its executive team following the demerger of GKN Automotive from Melrose PLC into Dowlais Group PLC, the company announced July 11. Nic Zerbst has joined GKN Automotive as COO, a new role which was created when the company established two new functional arms — Operations and Engineering. Zerbst will replace Markus Bannert, who was acting as the interim COO at GKN. Meanwhile, Adam Ramsay...

South Korean carmaker Kia Corp.’s European subsidiary — Kia Europe — has appointed Pierre-Martin Bos as director for its Purpose-Built Vehicle (PBV) business, Kia announced July 10. The carmaker said that Bos will be working in the newly created position at Kia Europe from the regional headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. Bos will take up his role at Kia Europe July 10, the company said. As a senior executive, Bos will take over the management of the dedicated team, which has bee...

In a press release announcement July 11, Denso has named Kim Buhl vice president of its North America Purchasing Group, effective July 24. She will succeed Mike Winkler, who led the group since 2014 and will retire in January 2024 after 30-plus years of distinguished service at Denso. Buhl will lead North America purchasing initiatives from Denso's regional headquarters in Southfield, Mich. In the role, she will spearhead efforts to secure and enhance Denso's supply chain, and work with suppl...

Europe’s largest carmaker Volkswagen plans to drive strategic realignment of its electric vehicle Charging and Energy businesses and has appointed Giovanni Palazzo as the new head of these business units, VW announced July 10. VW said that Palazzo, who has taken over the new position from July 1, is responsible for the company’s global Charging and Energy business. He will also lead the Elli brand as CEO and head of Sales. Palazzo is tasked to focus on expanding VW’s fast-chargi...

Tritium DCFC Limited, a leading manufacturer of EV charging equipment, has announced two new appointments in its senior leadership team. The company has appointed Glen Bethel as the new chief technology officer and Brian Johns as its vice president of product development, Tritium said on June 20. The company said that as CTO, Bethel will oversee its software development, test and release, information communication technology, communications engineering, data services, cyber security, modeling...

Volkswagen Group has appointed Gernot Döllner as the new CEO of its luxury-car unit Audi AG with effect from September 1, VW said in a press note June 29. As the new CEO of Audi, Döllner will also take his place on Volkswagen AG’s Group board of management on the day he will join. Döllner will succeed the serving CEO Markus Duesmann, who is slated to resign from his position at the same time. Commenting on the new appointment, Chairman of Volkswagen’s supervisory board, Hans Dieter ...

Ams Osram has announced that Rainer Irle has started in his role as the CFO of Ams Osram, according to a press release dated July 3. He was named to the role in March. Irle was previously the CFO at Siltronic AG. He has held various finance executive management roles within Siltronic and Wacker Chemie. “I am elated to be joining [Ams Osram] at this exciting time. I look forward to partnering with Aldo and the Management Team to further shape the Company’s future potential. We have th...

PPG announced June 26 that the company has appointed Alisha Bellezza as vice president for its Global Automotive Coatings business, with effect from July 17. The company said that Bellezza will succeed Vincent Robin, who has announced his intent to retire, effective July 31. She will report to Kevin Braun, PPG senior vice president of the Industrial Coatings segment. Bellezza is expected to support PPG’s continued focus and innovation related to improving sustainability for automoti...

Toyota Motor Europe (TME) has announced executive-level appointments at its European headquarters and changes to the company structure, with the appointment of one of its vice presidents to head up a new function focusing on Circular Economy, according to a press release dated June 22. It marks another move forward by TME as it accelerates the transformation toward a mobility company, built on the principles of carbon neutrality and sustainability. All changes are effective July 1, 2023. ...

US-based developer of lithium resources Piedmont Lithium has made a strategic addition of two new senior leaders to support its global portfolio of projects, the company announced June 22. To this end, the company has appointed James Griffiths, a global industrials and corporate finance expert, as senior vice president of Corporate Development and Treasury, and Kara deBorde as vice president of Risk Management. According to Keith Phillips, president and CEO of Piedmont, these positi...

Renault has announced that CEO Luca de Meo will also lead the executive team of Ampere, its electric vehicles and software subsidiary, in a press release June 19. De Meo will continue to work as the CEO of Renault Group. “Thanks to work done in the Renault Group over the past 2 years, Ampere is about to hit the ground running, supported by unmatched assets from Day 1: one of the most integrated EV value chains in the industry, a pioneering approach to Software Defined Vehicle, and stat...

In a restructuring of the senior management team at Ford Motor Co., Liz Door will return as the automaker’s chief Supply Chain officer, starting June 12, the Jim Farley-led company announced June 6. Door, who was serving as the leader of Global Strategic Sourcing for home-appliance maker Whirlpool Corp. for the past six years, will take over the responsibilities from Ford CFO John Lawler. Lawler has been managing the supply chain affairs at Ford on an interim basis since September 2022. Doo...

Stellantis on June 6 announced changes at the top executive team effective July 1, 2023. The company named Ned Curic, currently chief technology officer as the new chief engineering and technology officer, replacing Harald Wester, the current chief engineering officer, who is retiring. Béatrice Foucher, currently DS Automobiles CEO, is appointed chief planning officer, replacing Olivier Bourges. Olivier Bourges, currently chief planning officer, takes over as Global Corporate Office and Publ...

German luxury-car maker Mercedes-Benz has appointed two new top-level executives to lead the operations of its electric vehicle charging unit in North America — Mercedes-Benz HPC North America LLC, the company said May 31. Mercedes-Benz Mobility AG has appointed Andrew Cornelia as president and CEO at Mercedes-Benz HPC North America, and Christopher Trainor as the CFO, both effective June 2023. In their new roles, Cornelia and Trainor will be responsible for the launch and...

Hitachi Astemo on June 1 announced that its board of directors, in a meeting, have appointed Kohei Takeuchi as the new representative director, president and CEO. Takeuchi will assume office July 1, 2023. He will officially assume the role of president and CEO based on the election of directors from a resolution at the Hitachi Astemo general meeting of shareholders to be held June 29, and the selection of directors at a subsequent board of directors meeting....

Announcing a leadership change at its European operation May 30, Autoliv, the worldwide leader in automotive safety systems has appointed Magnus Jarlegren, currently executive vice president, Operations, as the next president of Autoliv Europe effective June 1. Jarlegren succeeds Frithjof Oldorff who will leave Autoliv to pursue new opportunities. Jarlegren’s direct report, Staffan Olsson, vice president, Seatbelt, will serve as the acting head of Operations. Significance: Jarlegren...

Umicore announced May 5 that Denis Goffaux, executive vice president of Recycling, has decided to move on from the company May 31, after a successful career of nearly 30 years within the Group. Goffaux will be succeeded by Veerle Slenders, who currently serves as president Region Europe West at Linde Group. Slenders will join Umicore from June 1. Commenting on the development, Mathias Miedreich, CEO of Umicore, said, “The [management board] and I want to thank Denis for his v...

Tesla co-founder and former chief technical officer JB Straubel, who is also the founder of the battery-material recycling company Redwood Materials, is returning to Tesla to join its board of directors following a shareholder vote, according to a news report published by Electrek on May 16. Straubel had left Tesla in 2019 to launch his own venture, Redwood Materials, with an aim of establishing a circular economy for battery critical materials in the US. The report stated that Hiromi...

To accelerate its technology-driven transformation, US automaker General Motors Co. (GM) announced May 9 the appointment of Mike Abbott, former vice president of Engineering for Apple’s Cloud Services division, as executive vice president, Software, effective May 22. He will report to GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra. As a member of the senior leadership team, Abbott will lead a new integrated end-to-end software organization focused on the development of vehicle and enterprise software technolo...

Volkswagen Group (Volkswagen) announced May 8 the appointment of Peter Bosch as CEO of its software arm CARIAD, effective June 1. This is a comprehensive realignment at the German automotive group approved by the supervisory board of CARIAD. Bosch was previously responsible for manufacturing at Bentley, and is the Volkswagen AG representative on the board of Scout Motors. Volkswagen said the new CEO is supported by acknowledged software experts and a transformation team of expe...

Cerence has named Iqbal Arshad as its new chief technology officer, in a press release dated May 2. Arshad will lead Cerence’s global Technology, Engineering and Product Development organization. Arshad had previously held senior vice president of Engineering and Product Development positions at Lenovo, Google and Motorola. He has also led and developed multiple product categories, including the original Droid smartphone, Google's first Android tablet computer, the first mo...

HERE Technologies has announced chief executive officer Edzard Overbeek has decided to step down from his post, in a company press release dated April 24. The Supervisory Board has agreed to appoint, Denise Doyle and Adeel Manzoor, the company’s chief data and financial officers, as interim co-CEOs during the transition phase to a new permanent CEO. They will take over from May 1. Overbeek steps down after more than seven years as CEO. “I am very proud of our achievements as a team. We ha...

Leading manufacturer of drive systems GKN Automotive has made four new appointments in its executive team, including a new chief executive officer, the company announced on April 24. The company said that it has appointed Markus Bannert as the new CEO, following the demerger from the Melrose Group on April 20. Bannert succeeds Liam Butterworth, who has moved into a new role as CEO of Dowlais Group plc. It can be recalled that in September 2022, Melrose had announced its intention to separate ...

South Korean vehicle manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group has appointed its current executive vice president Yong Wha Kim as the new head of R&D Division, effective May 1, the company announced on April 25. Kim will succeed Chung Kook Park, who also served as the head of the R&D Division, besides serving as the president at Hyundai Motor Company. The group has now appointed President Park as an advisor to the R&D team. Hyundai said that Kim had joined the carmaker in 2015 as an exp...

In a press release on April 24, Wayve, the self-driving technology company announced that it has appointed Silvius Rus as Vice President of Software at Wayve. He will lead the company’s Software organisation to build fleet learning technology to train and deploy Wayve’s AI Driver software at scale. Silvius brings a wealth of experience in building large-scale and complex systems which have achieved extraordinary impact. He was instrumental in delivering the platform software for all of Go...

SiriusXM Holdings has announced the appointment of Thomas D. Barry as the CFO, in a press release dated April 4. Barry, who currently serves as senior vice president and controller, will take over as the CFO from April 28, 2023, succeeding Sean Sullivan. “Tom is an experienced leader who has played a key role on SiriusXM's finance team for the last fourteen years and we are confident he is the right person to serve as our next CFO. Tom has deep insight into our business and SiriusXM's strat...

ElringKlinger announced that the company and CEO Stefan Wolf have agreed by mutual consent to terminate their contract as of June 30, 2023. In a press release dated April 6, the company announced that Thomas Jessulat, CFO, will assume Wolf’s role on an interim basis. Wolf was with ElringKlinger AG for 26 years, during which time he held the position of CEO for 17 years. “On behalf of the supervisory board, I would like to thank Dr. Stefan Wolf for his successful and long-standin...

Leoni AG has appointed Klaus Rinnerberger as the company's future CEO, it said in a press release on April 3. Rinnerberger, who is the current chairman of the supervisory board will succeed Aldo Kamper, who left his post on March 31. The decision was taken in light of the agreement on the financial restructuring of the company. Rinnerberger has been a member of the supervisory board of Leoni AG since May 2021 and was elected its chairman in May 2022. Significance: Leoni finalized a restruc...

Europe’s largest carmaker Volkswagen has appointed Dirk Voeste as the new chief sustainability officer with effect from April 1, 2023, the company said on March 28. Voeste will report to Gernot Döllner, head of Group Strategy and general secretariat. Voeste’s appointment comes as the VW group has restructured its sustainability unit after Ralf Pfitzner moved on after serving the company for five years. VW further added that the company is also realigning the independent sustainability co...

ams OSRAM has announced that Rainer Irle will take over as the chief financial officer of the company from July 1, 2023. Irle will replace current CFO Ingo Bank, who will leave the company at the end of April, a company press release dated March 30 read. In the interim, newly appointed CEO Aldo Kamper, will act as the CFO. Since 2013, Irle has served as the CFO of Siltronic, a company that manufactures hyper pure silicon wafers for the semiconductor industry and has previously held various fi...

German component makers Bosch has announced leadership changes to its Indian subsidiaries. Effective July 1, Guruprasad Mudlapur will take over as a president of the Bosch Group in India and managing director of Bosch Ltd., the company said in a press release dated March 22. In his new role, Guruprasad will be responsible for the strategic growth and overall performance of the business in the region. At the same time, he will continue to be chief technology officer for Bos...

Sibros has appointed Srida Joisa as CFO, it said in a press release dated March 15. Before moving to Sibros, Joisa served as CFO and COO at Drishti, an artificial intelligence (AI) computer-vision SaaS company. Prior to that, Joisa was the vice president for SMART Modular Technologies where he led the acquisition of Penguin Computing. “Srida's extensive experience and deep understanding of finance and corporate strategy make him an essential addition to the Sibros leadership ...

Covestro has announced that Thomas Toepfer will resign as CFO at the end of August this year, a company press release dated 15 February read. Despite having a contract till March 2026, Toepfer will leave the company to pursue a new role as CFO at aircraft manufacturer Airbus. Thomas Toepfer has been a member of Covestro’s Board of Management since April 2018 and has additionally held the position of Labor Director since January 2019. Covestro has already begun its search for a new CFO....

SiriusXM has appointed Gail Berger as senior vice president and general manager of Automotive Partnerships, according to a company press release on 22 February. Berger will report to Chief Commercial Officer Joe Verbrugge and will oversee SiriusXM’s Automotive Partnerships, Automotive Remarketing, and Automotive Field Operations teams responsible for growing and expanding SiriusXM’s presence in new and used vehicles. Berger will succeed Rodney Pickett following Pickett’s planned retirement...

Commsignia has announced the appointment of Szabolcs Patay as the CEO, it said in a press release dated 21 February. Patay is a cofounder in the company and has been working as the chief revenue officer. Patay will replace Laszlo Virag, who has been the CEO since the passing of Jozsef Kovacs in late 2021. Virag will now focus on strategic leadership, investor relations, and creating the company vision as executive president and CTO. “I could not be more excited to step into this role, and a...

In a press release on 16 February 2023, Constellium has announced that Jack Guo will be appointed as chief financial officer, effective 1 April 2023, following Peter Matt’s decision to leave the company to pursue another career opportunity. “I am delighted that Peter is offered such an exciting career opportunity. We are extremely grateful to him for his outstanding contributions to the transformation of Constellium as CFO,” stated Jean-Marc Germain, Constellium’s CEO. “He has ...

In a press release on 14 February 2023, BorgWarner has announced that Brady Ericson will serve as President and Chief Executive Officer, and Chris Gropp will serve as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the separate, publicly traded company that will result from the completion of the previously announced proposed spin-off of BorgWarner’s Fuel Systems and Aftermarket segments.  BorgWarner also announced today that the intended company name is PHINIA. “Brady and Chr...

ams OSRAM has appointed Aldo Kamper as chairman of the management board and chief executive officer, it said in a press release dated 30 January. Kamper will replace Alexander Everke, who will step down as CEO after seven years. Aldo Kamper has been the CEO of Leoni AG since 2018. Kamper spent over 15 years in different management positions with OSRAM, most recently as general manager of the business unit Opto Semiconductors. Kamper promoted early stages of the development of microLED technol...

In a press release announcement on 1 February 2023, Lidar solutions supplier AEye has announced it has named Matt Fisch as the company’s new CEO and as a member of its board of directors effective 13 February 2023. Fisch is a technical C-level leader with 30 years of experience delivering breakout products across industries and scaling software organizations at multi-billion-dollar global companies including HARMAN International, Intel, and Verifone. He takes the reins at AEye as the c...

dSPACE has announced in a press release on 25 January 2023 that Dr. Carsten Hoff will become the new CEO of the dSPACE group succeeding Martin Goetzeler on 17 April, who is leaving his post at his own request and for personal reasons. To ensure a smooth handover, Martin Goetzeler will continue to be available to the new CEO in an advisory capacity after 17 April 2023. Dr. Carsten Hoff comes from a research and development-centric background with a degree in electrical engineering and a doctor...

SiriusXM has announced the appointment of Suzi Watford to the newly-created role of SVP and chief growth officer for SiriusXM, according to a company press release on 17 January. Watford will report to Chief Commercial Officer Joe Verbrugge. Watford will have oversight across a variety of key areas, including the SiriusXM streaming subscription business as well as corporate marketing, analytics and research for SiriusXM and Pandora. Watford will lead the distribution, acquisition, retent...

Swedish battery maker Northvolt has announced Jim Hageman Snabe as the new chairman of the board of directors, the company said on 14 December 2022. Snabe is the former CEO and board member of SAP and  the chairman of Siemens, a board member of C3.ai, a member of the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum, and an adjunct professor at Copenhagen Business School. According to the company, the announcement is part of a long-term strategic initiative to build a more independent b...

Aptiv has appointed Benjamin Lyon senior vice president and chief technology officer (CTO), the company said in a press release on 15 December. Lyon will replace Geln De Vos who is transitioning to a newly created role of senior vice president, transformation, and special programs. Lyon most recently worked as an executive vice president of engineering at Astra where he was responsible for development and commercialization of advanced engineering solutions. Before Astra, he spent 21 year...

Lidar specialist AEye has promoted Dr. TR Ramachandran to the position of COO, the company said in a press release on 12 December. Ramachandran has been promoted after serving AEye as CPO since his joined the company in November 2021. AEye also announced that its CEO Blair LaCorte will resign from the post of CEO at the end of February 2023 and transition to a more focused role. LaCorte will continue to stay on AEye’s board of directors. AEye has already launched a search for LaCorte’s su...

Autoneum has appointed Eelco Spoelder as its new CEO, the Switzerland-based automotive supplier said in a press release on 13 December. Spoelder will replace Matthias Holzammer who is leaving Autoneum for personal reasons. Holzammer will hand over Autoneum’s operations management to Spoelder on 23 March 2023. However, he will continue to serve as a senior advisor to Hans-Peter Schwald, the chairman of the board of directors of Autoneum until 30 June 2023. “In view of the many challenge...

In a press release on 5 December 2022, DENSO Corporation announced changes to its organizational structure, executives' responsibilities, and personnel, effective 1 January 2023. Organizational changes: DENSO will merge the FA Business Development Division (formerly the Industrial Solution Business Unit), which provides lean automation solutions to the industrial sector; the Food Value Chain Business Development Div., which provides safe and stable supply solutions in the food and ...

Faraday Future has appointed Xuefeng Chen as the global CEO of Faraday Future, it said in a press release on 28 November. Chen will replace Carsten Breitfeld, who was removed as Global CEO by the Board of Directors following a comprehensive evaluation of the company’s performance since it went public in July 2021. “The FF 91 Futurist will deliver a unique user experience of the Ultimate Intelligent TechLuxury. With the completion of the manufacturing #6 milestone, we are just one step awa...

Arrival has announced that F. Peter Cuneo has been appointed as interim CEO of the company, in a press release dated 24 November. He will be replacing Denis Sverdlov who is stepping down from his role to take over as chairman of the board in place Cuneo. “I intend to bring the full depth of my experience to this operational role, ensuring that the Company executes on its next set of strategic goals. I look forward to working closely with Denis, the rest of the Board and our employees for th...

GlobalFoundries (GF) has announced the appointment of Ashlie Wallace as SVP of global supply chain, effective 28 November 2022. Ms. Wallace will spearhead GF’s global supply chain operations including logistics, supply planning, sourcing, and procurement to drive operational efficiency that will support the company’s continued growth. “Ashlie’s deep expertise in supply chain management will continue to ensure GF is at the forefront of our industry in navigating the current environment...

Airbiquity has appointed Claes Valentin as vice president, Europe, it said in a press release on 10 November. The appointment is based on the target of expanding its operations in Europe. Valentin will be responsible for leading the company’s regional sales and business development with a focus on establishing new customer relationships and program deployments. He has previously held leadership positions at Delphi Automotive, Aptiv, VMware, ZF Group, and Foretellix. “Original equipment ma...

Saietta VNA, the joint venture between UK’s Saietta Group plc and India’s Padmini VNA, plans to commence volume production of its electric drive (eDrive) in India in 2023, the company said in a media note on 31 October 2022. Saietta VNA has developed a new electric motor targeted specifically at the Indian market. The company said that its plans to locally produce the high-tech eDrives in Delhi, India, are on track. In addition to that, the company has appointed a new managing director to...

Tenneco has announced the appointment of Jeff Stafeil as executive vice president and chief financial officer, in a press release dated 31 October. Stafeil will replace Matti Masanovich as the CFO. Stafeil will join Tenneco from Adient, a supplier of automotive seating components and systems, where he served as the executive vice president and chief financial officer. “I'm excited to join the team at this critical time for our company and for the automotive industry. Tenneco has a range ...

Adient has announced Jerome Dorlack as executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), effective 1 December 2022, it said in a press release on 31 October.   Doug Del Grosso, Adient’s president and chief executive officer, said, "Jerome has been a key member of our leadership team and we are fortunate to have someone of his caliber step into the CFO role. Additionally, Jim’s long tenure and deep knowledge of our business make him ideally positioned to lead our Americas re...