Transportation Transitions: Motive, Hyliion, ZF, and Nissan announce leadership changes impacting commercial vehicle operations
Key takeaways
- Motive adds Meg Whitman to its board to guide AI-driven fleet operations and expand market presence.
- Hyliion appoints VP of operations to scale KARNO Power Module production for efficient, low-emission power.
- ZF and Nissan leadership changes signal strategic focus on electrified powertrains and U.S. fleet growth.
Motive appoints Meg Whitman to board of directors
Motive recently appointed Meg Whitman, a technology leader with more than three decades of executive and public sector leadership experience, to the company’s board of directors.
“Meg’s track record of scaling global businesses at eBay and driving operational transformation at Hewlett-Packard will be invaluable as we extend our AI leadership, enter new markets, and help our customers tackle their most complex challenges,” Shoaib Makani, CEO and co-founder of Motive, said. “Her perspective will be a significant asset to the Motive Board.”
Whitman most recently served as U.S. Ambassador to Kenya from 2022 to 2024. Earlier in her career, she was president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Company from 2011 to 2015, where she also served as chairman of the board from 2014 to 2015. From 1998 to 2008, she led eBay as president and CEO, guiding the company through a period of growth and global expansion.
“Motive is transforming how the physical economy operates by bringing safety, operations, and finance teams together in one AI-powered platform,” Whitman said. “I’m excited to join the Board as Motive advances its mission to empower the people who run physical operations with AI to make their work safer and more productive.”
Hyliion appoints new VP of operations
Hyliion Holdings recently announced that Darrell Preble has joined Hyliion as the vice president of operations. Preble will be responsible for scaling Hyliion’s manufacturing infrastructure to bring the KARNO Power Modules to market efficiently and cost-effectively.
Preble brings experience from the energy industry, with a track record of building scalable operations and driving operational excellence. Prior to joining Hyliion, he held senior leadership positions at Cummins and Husky Technologies, where he oversaw large-scale production initiatives and implemented supply chains that supported commercialization.
“As we prepare to go to market, strengthening our operational capabilities is critical,” Thomas Healy, founder and CEO of Hyliion, said. “Adding Darrell to our leadership team reinforces our ability to scale efficiently, optimize costs, and ensure that the KARNO technology can be deployed across industries at a manageable pace.”
The KARNO Power Module, enabled by additive manufacturing and fuel-agnostic capabilities, is designed to deliver efficient, low-emissions power across multiple applications, including data centers, commercial and industrial facilities, and microgrids.
“I’m thrilled to join Hyliion at this pivotal time,” said Preble said. “The KARNO Power Module represents a new way to produce and utilize electricity. I look forward to building the operational foundation that will help Hyliion to scale, deliver value to our customers, and accelerate the adoption of this groundbreaking technology.”
ZF announces change to board of management, Mathias Miedreich to take over as CEO
The supervisory board of ZF Friedrichshafen AG decided to terminate the existing contractual relationship with the current CEO, Dr. Holger Klein, by mutual amicable agreement. He will leave the board of management on September 30. Mathias Miedreich, who has been a member of the board of management since January 2025 and heads the electrified powertrain technology division, has been appointed as the new chairman of the board of management. At the same time, the supervisory board and board member Peter Laier have mutually agreed today to terminate his position as a member of the board of management.
“I would like to thank Dr. Holger Klein for his tireless commitment to ZF for more than 10 years, but especially for the last nearly three years as CEO,” Rolf Breidenbach, supervisory board chairman, said. “With his strategy, he laid the foundations for ZF’s turnaround and has already achieved significant success with the entire team. We must now build on what’s been achieved and continue with the strategy we’ve embarked upon.”
ZF will provide information on the succession of the board positions for the electrified powertrain technology division and for the commercial vehicle solutions and industrial technology divisions in due course.
Nissan appoints Michael Soutter to lead U.S. marketing and sales
Nissan recently announced that Michael Soutter will assume the role of senior vice president of U.S. marketing and sales, Nissan and INFINITI. In this role, he will be responsible for all marketing and sales activities for the Nissan brand in the U.S. while also overseeing the INFINITI business in the Americas.
In more than a decade with Nissan, Soutter has held global and regional leadership roles. From 2018 to 2022, he served as vice president of aftersales, Nissan Americas, based in Franklin, Tennessee. He subsequently moved to Japan and was named corporate vice president, leading Nissan's Global Aftersales business from 2022 to 2023.
"Mike is a strong and experienced leader within Nissan who brings a track record of success working with our dealer partners," Christian Meunier, chairman, Nissan Americas, said. "As we continue to build momentum in the U.S., Mike is the right person to drive our efforts to enhance the Nissan and INFINITI brands, deliver great customer experiences, and grow our sales in a competitive market."
Soutter replaces Vinay Shahani, who is departing Nissan to take an opportunity outside of the automotive industry that allows him to remain closer to his family. Soutter's appointment is effective immediately, and he will be based at Nissan Americas headquarters in Franklin.