Torc names Steve Kenner as chief safety officer
Torc recently appointed Steve Kenner as the company’s chief safety officer. Kenner brings nearly four decades of experience in engineering and automotive safety from companies such as Aurora, Kodiak, General Motors, Uber, and others.
In this role, Kenner will report to Torc’s CEO, Peter Vaughan Schmidt, overseeing the development and implementation of robust safety programs at a global level and representing Torc to federal and state agencies. Kenner will lead a team of internal safety experts, ensuring the continued cross-functional prioritization of safety into every facet of the organization, from development and testing to deployment.
“Steve’s impressive career trajectory and commitment to safety make him the ideal candidate to lead Torc’s safety, regulatory, compliance, and government affairs efforts,” Schmidt said. “His deep expertise and leadership in the automotive industry will be instrumental in advancing our mission to commercialize autonomous trucks and ensure the highest standards of safety and regulatory compliance.”
See also: Transportation Transitions: Cummins and PGT Trucking make executive leadership appointments
East Trailers announces CEO appointment
East Trailers recently appointed Chris Olson as CEO. Olson is a manufacturing and operations executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in the transportation, truck body, and specialty vehicle industries.
As CEO, Olson will focus on driving sustainable growth and operational excellence to strengthen East’s ability to deliver value, innovation, and quality products to its customers.
“Throughout his career, Chris has consistently driven operational excellence, innovation, and cross-functional leadership, with a strong track record of delivering measurable results in complex, high-growth environments,” Jorge Martínez Madero, CEO of Fultra, the parent company of East Trailers, said. “So, his leadership will be key to building an agile, efficient, and customer-centric operation that will guide East Trailers through this next stage of growth and transformation.”
The move aligns with Fultra’s 2030 Vision of becoming the preferred partner for transportation companies across North America.
Olson’s career includes experience in national account development, strategic planning, business integration, engineering, operations, safety, and environmental compliance. He comes from The Shyft Group, where he was VP of specialty vehicles truck group, leading operations and driving growth across the organization. Before joining The Shyft Group, Olson held multiple leadership roles at LEER Group. There, he focused on operational improvements, supply chain efficiency, and manufacturing strategies.
Aidan Gomez joins Rivian’s board of directors
Rivian Automotive recently added Aidan Gomez to its board of directors. Gomez is a data scientist and artificial intelligence expert and serves as co-founder and CEO of enterprise AI startup Cohere.
“We are thrilled to welcome Aidan to the Rivian board,” RJ Scaringe, founder and CEO of Rivian, said. “Aidan has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the rapidly evolving AI industry, and his thinking and expertise will support Rivian as we integrate new, cutting-edge technologies into our products, services, and manufacturing.”
Before founding Cohere, Gomez was a researcher at Google, working under Nobel Prize winner Geoffrey Hinton in its deep learning division, Google Brain.
