Each week, TruckNews.com lists notable events, promotions and awards in the trucking industry.
This week, Patrick Archambault was named Gatik’s first chief financial officer (CFO) while Judi Otteson has been named the company’s chief legal officer. Former Lyft president Kristin Sverchek and Ken Goldman, former CFO of Yahoo! and Fortinet, joined Kodiak Robotics’ board of directors as it prepares to go public.
Vipar Heavy Duty Family of Companies welcomed Tom Ruud as its new program manager, and St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund named Courtney Niemann as its new executive director.
Gatik names first CFO, CLO
Gatik has appointed its first chief financial officer (CFO) and chief legal officer (CLO) as it prepares to scale its freight-only, driverless autonomous trucking operations later this year across North America.
Patrick Archambault takes on the role of CFO, while Judi Otteson has been named CLO after serving more than two years as Gatik’s general counsel.
“We are seeing firsthand how commercial demand for autonomous middle-mile delivery continues to rise, underscoring the tremendous value that Patrick and Judi bring to the team as we scale our operations over the coming months,” said Gautam Narang, Gatik’s CEO and co-founder, in a news release. “Their proven track record in strategic planning, resource management, and capital markets transactions, particularly within the mobility and technology sectors, will further strengthen Gatik’s leadership.”
(Photo: Gatik)
Archambault previously served seven years at Quanergy Systems, most recently as CFO, where he led the company’s IPO in 2022 and helped raise approximately $175 million. Earlier in his career, he spent over 17 years at Goldman Sachs as vice-president in the Global Investment Research division, playing a leading role in IPOs for Tesla, Delphi, and TRW, according to the release.
Otteson brings more than 25 years of legal experience, including leadership roles at Matterport and NewPhotonics Corporation. At Matterport, she oversaw legal operations during the company’s merger with Gores Holdings VI, securing over $600 million. At NewPhotonics, she launched a global compliance program and held senior legal positions for more than a decade, including vice-president, general counsel, and chief compliance officer.
Kodiak adds new board members
Autonomous trucking company Kodiak Robotics has appointed two new board members as it prepares to go public through a business combination with Ares Acquisition Corporation II.
Joining the board are Ken Goldman, a former CFO of Yahoo! and Fortinet with experience on more than 40 corporate boards, and Kristin Sverchek, former president of Lyft, who helped guide the company through its IPO and held key legal and business leadership roles, according to a news release.
“Ken and Kristin bring significant financial and corporate leadership to Kodiak’s board of directors, along with firsthand experience not only in taking technology companies public, but in operating them to maximize shareholder value,” said Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak, in a news release.
Ken Goldman, left, and Kristin Sverchek (Photo: Supplied)
Goldman most recently served as president of Hillspire, the family office of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. In that role, he managed Hillspire’s business and philanthropic activities. Goldman formerly served as CFO of several companies, including Yahoo!, Siebel Systems (acquired by Oracle), Fortinet, and Sybase (acquired by SAP), among others. Over his career as CFO, Goldman has helped three companies successfully go public. He has served on more than 40 corporate boards as a director, audit committee chair, or financial advisor. He currently serves on the boards of multiple companies, including RingCentral and Fortinet.
Sverchek, who joined Lyft in 2012 as its first general counsel, rose to become president of business affairs and then president of the company in 2023. During her time at Lyft, Sverchek played a role in guiding the company through its IPO while overseeing key business functions. Prior to Lyft, Sverchek served as outside counsel to emerging technology companies, entrepreneurs, venture capital firms, and angel investors.
Vipar Heavy Duty appoints Ruud as new program manager
(Photo: Supplied)
Vipar Heavy Duty Family of Companies has named Tom Ruud as its new program manager, bringing more than a decade of experience in product management, supply chain, and operations to the role.
Ruud will oversee various responsibilities across program management, Global Parts Network (including product distribution and brake-related product management), and business systems. He reports to Larry Griffin, vice-president of program management.
Ruud joins the company from FleetPride, where he most recently served as senior manager of OE operations following its acquisition of Wheelco Truck & Trailer Parts and Service, where he had been director of supply chain.
His background includes experience in product pricing and procurement, globally sourced products, rebate management, and ERP software implementation, according to a news release.
St. Christopher Truckers Fund appoints new executive director
(Photo: Supplied)
Courtney Niemann has been named executive director of the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund (SCF), succeeding longtime leader Donna Kennedy, who stepped down on May 5 and will remain with the organization as lead strategic advisor.
Niemann brings more than 25 years of experience in public health field, according to a news release. A seasoned community health specialist, she has worked in health advocacy, funding development, nonprofit management and strategic planning. Her appointment comes as the SCF continues expanding both its relief efforts and preventative health programs for over-the-road truck drivers.
The SCF provides short-term relief to Class A OTR drivers in the U.S. who are unable to work due to injury or illness, helping cover essential household expenses such as rent, utilities, and insurance. It also runs preventative health and wellness programs, including diabetes prevention, chronic disease management, smoking cessation, and cancer screening.
