Agility Fuel Systems appointed Kathleen Ligocki as chief executive officer effective Dec. 3.
"With an impressive background in the automotive industry and entrepreneurial technology firms, as well as prior CEO experience at a variety of companies, we believe that Kathleen is uniquely qualified to lead Agility to the next level. We are delighted to welcome her as CEO, and we would also like to thank Bill Nowicke for leading the company through this important transition period," stated Michael Gallagher, chairman of the board.
Prior to joining Agility, Ligocki served as the CEO of Harvest Power, a leading organics management solutions company, according to Agility. Previously, she was an operating partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, collaborating with the firm's green tech ventures on strategic challenges, scaling operations and commercialization. Ligocki has also served as CEO at Tower Automotive, Next Autoworks, and GS Motors, Agility added.
According to the company, Ligocki has also held executive positions at Ford and United Technologies where she led operations in the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Russia. Ligocki began her industrial career at General Motors. She currently serves as a director on the board of Lear Corporation, a Fortune 200 automotive supplier, and formerly has served on numerous public, private and academic boards.
"I am very excited to join Agility at this pivotal time in its development,” Ligocki said. “The continued innovation in Agility's natural gas fuel systems and a brand new, vertically-integrated production facility in North Carolina will position the company to continue serving its expanding base of fleet and OEM customers. Our newest designs and integrated manufacturing model will offer the highest quality, most cost effective natural gas fuel systems available to the heavy duty truck and bus markets. I look forward to joining the Agility team as we continue to lead the way in adoption of a cleaner fuel in natural gas across the transportation industry.”
Bill Nowicke, Agility's Interim CEO, who has led Agility since the departure of Barry Engle at the end of July, will return to his position as chief operating officer and report directly to Ligocki. During his tenure as Interim CEO, Nowicke led the company through the opening of the new state-of-the-art production facility in Salisbury, NC, according to the company.
