Nikola Motor Company designs and manufactures electric vehicles, vehicle components, energy storage systems, and electric vehicle drivetrains.

Automotive

Nikola

Carey Mendes is President, Energy of Nikola Corporation, a global leader in zero-emissions transportation and energy supply and infrastructure solutions.

Mendes has deep experience in energy and renewables supply chains. He joined BP’s energy trading division in 2003 and held progressively senior global roles, helping to grow the business materially including CEO of BP’s US energy trading and marketing division for three years, and led the Global Crude Oil Trading and the Global Renewable Energy Trading team.

Additionally, Mendes played a key role in growing BP’s Renewable Energy business — a key growth node for BP’s diversification from fossil fuels. As part of his leadership, Mendes built a portfolio of assets, customers, and renewable commodity flows that underpinned the growth of that business including renewable gas, bioenergy, and energy trading credits. Mendes also served as the Head of Marketing for BP Europe and Africa, Chief Risk Officer for the BP trading division, and Chief of Staff to the BP Group CFO.

Mendes previously served as a director on the Board of BP North America and is currently a director for the Texas Hydrogen Alliance.

Mendes holds a B.A. and MBA in Political Science & History, and is also a holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Mendes holds an additional distinction as a graduate of the Harvard Advanced Management program.

Carey Mendes

Pablo Koziner leads Nikola’s hydrogen fueling and battery charging business as president of Nikola Energy. Koziner’s extensive global energy and distribution services experience is derived from his more than 18 years at [Caterpillar](/org/caterpillar-inc) Inc. where he served as president of [Solar Turbines](/org/solar-turbines), vice president of Electric Power, and in various roles in North and South America leading dealer relations. Prior to joining [Caterpillar](/org/caterpillar-inc), Koziner practiced commercial law at [Hunton & Williams LLP](/org/hunton-williams-llp) (now Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP) and later at Paul Hastings LLP.

Koziner is a graduate of [Boston College](/org/boston-college) and earned a Juris Doctorate degree from [Boston College](/org/boston-college) Law School.

Pablo was born in Boston, Massachusetts and is a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Pablo Koziner

Joe oversees all HR-related activities for Nikola, including organizational design, total rewards, recruiting, HR operations and talent development. Prior to joining Nikola, he was the Senior Director of Talent at [Vista Outdoor](/org/vista-outdoor) where he led the company’s talent acquisition, leadership and organizational development functions.

Before working at Vista, Joe worked with the H.J. Heinz Company in Pittsburgh in HR-related roles of increasing responsibility, including HR Business Partner for the company’s corporate team supporting the CFO, General Counsel, CHRO, SVP of Marketing, SVP of Communications and SVP of Investor Relations. Prior to working at Heinz, he was a part of Aon Corporation in Chicago and held a variety of positions, including work as a senior project manager and engagement consultant where he consulted more than 20 Fortune 500 and mid-market clients on strategic management decisions aligned with employee engagement assessments.

He graduated with highest academic honors from the Marriott School of Management with a master’s degree in Public Administration and cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Communications from [Brigham Young University](/org/brigham-young-university).

Joseph Pike

Britton is executive vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary of Nikola Corporation. He is also a member of the company’s senior leadership team and works closely with its board of directors.

Britton reports directly to CEO Trevor Milton and was Trevor’s first executive hire at Nikola in 2015. In his role as chief legal officer, Britton is responsible for overseeing Nikola's worldwide legal affairs including litigation, intellectual property and corporate matters.

Prior to joining Nikola, Britton was a partner at the Phoenix law firm of Beus Gilbert PLLC where he represented a wide array of clients on commercial litigation, intellectual property, and general corporate matters. At that time, Britton also represented Trevor Milton related to numerous business endeavors.

Britton has had extensive experience in corporate governance, compliance, land use planning and control, litigation, securities regulation, and intellectual property issues.

Mr. Worthen graduated with honors from the University of Michigan Law School and completed his undergraduate studies at [Brigham Young University](/org/brigham-young-university).

Britton Worthen

Kim Brady recently served as a Senior Managing Director with SOLIC Capital Advisors, LLC. He brings over 20 years of experience in investment banking, private equity, and corporate restructuring. During the past decade, he has consummated over four billion dollars in transactions and recapitalizations and has overseen the successful performance improvements and reorganizations in over 100 businesses. He has previously served as CFO, General Manager, and Financial Advisor for various companies in manufacturing, business services, and healthcare services.

Before joining SOLIC Capital Advisors, LLC (and its predecessors, Navigant Capital Advisors, LLC and Casas, Benjamin & White, LLC), Kim served as General Manager and CFO for Doshi Diagnostic (a division of PrimeCare International), VP of Business Development, PrimeCare International, and Manager of Strategy and Planning, European Operations, with Baxter International, Inc. He currently serves on the board of SurePeople, LLC and as Executive Chairman of Ascentec Engineering, LLC. Kim received his bachelor of science degree from Marriott School of Management at [Brigham Young University](/org/brigham-young-university) and his MBA from [Northwestern University](/org/northwestern-university)’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He is FINRA Series 7 and Series 63 licensed.

Kim Brady

Michael Lohscheller is president and CEO of Nikola Corporation, a global leader in zero-emissions transportation and energy supply and infrastructure solutions.

A 20-year global automotive industry veteran, Lohscheller has held a variety of high-ranking positions including executive vice president and chief financial officer at Mitsubishi Motors Europe, executive vice president and chief financial officer at Volkswagen Group of America, chief executive officer at Opel Automobile GmbH and member of the board at PSA Group and global CEO of VinFast.

He has been recognized with several prestigious industry awards including Eurostar 2019 (Automotive News), Manbest 2019 (Autobest) and Manager of the Year 2019 (AutoZeitung).

Lohscheller graduated from Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and the University of Barcelona (Spain) in 1992. During his working years, Lohscheller completed a master’s program in European Marketing Management and obtained his M.A. at Brunel University London in 1996.

Michael Lohscheller

Andrew Vessey has been a member of Nikola’s board of directors since October 2022.Vessey has more than 40 years of diverse utility industry experience and is currently President and CEO North America at Fortescue Future Industries.

Prior to joining Fortescue Future Industries, in 2019, Vesey co-founded Earthrise Energy Inc., a firm focused on delivering critical energy services to customers and the electric grid. Additional former executive roles include serving as chief executive and president of Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), chief executive and managing director of AGL Energy, and chief operating officer of AES Corporation.

Vesey spent several years as an energy industry consultant and leader at firms including FTI Consulting and Ernst & Young. He also served as chief executive and managing director of Melbourne-based CitiPower in Australia and began his career as a system planning engineer at Consolidated Edison. Vesey has previously served on the boards of PG&E and AGL Energy, among others.

Vesey holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in economics both from Union College. He also earned a master’s degree in applied science from New York University.

Andrew Vessey

Stephen J. Girsky serves as Managing Partner of VectoIQ, LLC, an independent advisory firm based in New York. Mr. Girsky served as President and Chief Executive Officer of VectoIQ Acquisition Corp. I from its incorporation in January 2018 until the consummation of its business combination with Nikola Corporation in June 2020 and continues to serve as a member of Nikola’s Board of Directors (and since September 2020 has served as Chairman of the Board). Mr. Girsky has more than 30 years of experience working with corporate board executives, labor leaders, OEM leaders, suppliers, dealers and national policy makers. Mr. Girsky served in a number of capacities at [General Motors](/org/general-motors) from November 2009 until July 2014, including Vice Chairman, having responsibility for global corporate strategy, new business development, global product planning and program management, global connected consumer/OnStar, and GM Ventures LLC, Global Research & Development and Global Purchasing and Supply Chain.. Mr. Girsky served as Chairman of the Adam Opel AG Supervisory Board and was President of GM Europe for a period of time. He was a special advisor to the CEO and CFO of [General Motors](/org/general-motors) Corporation from August 2005 to June 2006. Mr. Girsky has also served as president of Centerbridge Industrial Partners, an affiliate of Centerbridge Partners, LP, and a multibillion-dollar investment fund. Mr. Girsky also previously served as managing director at [Morgan Stanley](/org/morgan-stanley) and as senior analyst of the [Morgan Stanley](/org/morgan-stanley) Global Automotive and Auto Parts Research Team. Prior to joining [Morgan Stanley](/org/morgan-stanley), he was managing director of PaineWebber’s Automotive Group and worked as an analyst on the overseas financial staff of GM.

Mr. Girsky is on the board of directors at Nikola Corporation, VectoIQ Acquisition Corp. II (a special purpose acquisition company), Brookfield Business Partners Limited, the general partner of Brookfield Business Partners, L.P. (NYSE: BBU; TSX BBU.UN), as well as two private companies, Clarios and [Valens](/org/valens) Semiconductor Ltd. He served on the [General Motors](/org/general-motors) Board of Directors following its emergence from bankruptcy in June 2009 until June 2016. He also served as the lead director of Dana Holdings Corp. from 2008 to 2009.

Mr. Girsky received a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the University of California at Los Angeles and a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School.

Steve Girsky

Tom Resh

Shelby Jackson

Mr. Marx has been a member of Nikola’s board of directors since September 2019 and a member of Nikola’s compensation committee since October 2019. Mr. Marx has served as Chief Executive Officer of Iveco, a commercial goods manufacturing company, since March 2019 and as President of commercial and specialty vehicles of [CNHI](/org/cnhi) (Nasdaq: [CNHI](/org/cnhi)), an industrial goods manufacturing company, since January 2019. Prior to joining [CNHI](/org/cnhi), Mr. Marx served as an operating partner [Bain Capital](/org/bain-capital), a global private equity firm, from December 2012 to December 2018. Mr. Marx served as interim Chief Executive Officer of Wittur Holding GmbH, an elevator component manufacturing company, from May 2017 to March 2018 and as interim President of power tools of [Apex Tool Group, LLC](/org/apex-tool-group-llc), a hand and power tool manufacturing company, from November 2014 to April 2015. Mr. Marx received a Master of Engineering equivalent in mechanical engineering and an MBA equivalent from [RWTH Aachen University](/org/rwth-aachen-university), Germany, and a doctorate in business administration from Cologne University, Germany.

Gerrit Marx

Mr. Mansuetti has been a member of Nikola’s board of directors since September 2019 and a member of Nikola’s audit committee since October 2019. Since July 2012, Mr. Mansuetti has been the President of Robert Bosch LLC, an automotive component supply company. Mr. Mansuetti received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from [Clemson University](/org/clemson-university).

Mike Mansuetti

Lynn Forester de Rothschild has been a member of Nikola’s board of directors since February 2022 and is a member of the Sustainability, Nominating and Governance Committee.

Forester de Rothschild is a founder, managing partner, and member of the Management Committee of Inclusive Capital Partners. Previously, Forester de Rothschild founded and is the chair of the Coalition for Inclusive Capitalism, and serves as the co-chair of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism with the Vatican, each a not-for-profit that develops initiatives with global CEOs and leaders in government and civil society to catalyze actions that transform capitalism, seeking to make economies and societies more inclusive, dynamic and sustainable.

Since 2000, Forester de Rothschild has been a member of the Board of Directors and Nominating & Governance Committee of The Estee Lauder Companies. She has also served on the boards of The Economist Group, Gulfstream, General Instruments, Bronfman-Rothschild and Weather Central.

In addition, she served as a member of the National Information Infrastructure Advisory Committee and the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board under President Clinton, and as a member of the United Nations Advisory Committee on Inclusive Financial Services.

She graduated magna cum laude and beta kappa from Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. and from Columbia University School of Law, with a juris doctor degree with honors.

Lynn Forester De Rothschild

Robin Deibis

Ms. Petrovich is an accomplished entrepreneur with a passion for disruptive technologies and leading innovation. She is the senior operating executive for [The Carlyle Group](/org/the-carlyle-group) and has served as the chairman and CEO of two highly successful Carlyle portfolio companies in the industrial and transportation sectors.

Currently, Ms. Petrovich chairs two VC-backed technology start-ups: [Traxen](/org/traxen), a leading software development company focused on devising AI-enabled autonomous driving technology for the Class-8 truck market, and Xeeva, a supply chain software leader applying artificial intelligence to identify the widest spectrum of cost savings and expedite those globally. She also serves as active chairman of [DealerShop](/org/dealershop), the leading buying group in North America for over 3,000 dealerships and collision centers.

Her formative years were spent in manufacturing, engineering, and financial leadership roles at companies including [General Motors](/org/general-motors), Chrysler, and AlliedSignal.

Ms. Petrovich earned a master’s in business administration from [Harvard Business School](/org/harvard-business-school) and a bachelor’s degree in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan.

Mary Petrovich

Bruce Smith has more than 30 years of leadership experience in manufacturing operations, having led numerous companies and has a history of driving business and financial outperformance. He is currently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Detroit Manufacturing Systems (DMS), a Tier 1 component manufacturer for global automotive brands with approximately $1 billion in annual revenue. Prior to joining DMS, Smith worked closely with leading private equity firms and entrepreneurs, holding key executive management positions, including president and CEO of BTM Company, a global leader of precision engineered tooling and production equipment. Earlier in his career, he served as president and CEO of Elyria & Hodge Foundries, president and COO of Guilford Mills, president and CEO of automotive supplier Piston Group, and president and COO of United Plastics Group. Smith has an MBA from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Bruce Smith

Mr. Shindler has been a member of Nikola’s Board of Directors and Chair of Nikola’s Audit Committee since October 2020. Mr. Shindler is a Director of NII Holdings, Inc. a holding company that previously owned providers of wireless communication services under the Nextel brand in Latin America. From 2018 – June 2020, Mr. Shindler served as Chief Financial Officer of VectoIQ Acquisition Corp., a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company focused on opportunities in the industrial technology, transportation and smart mobility industries. Previously, Mr. Shindler served as Chief Executive Officer of NII from 2012 until August of 2017 as well as from 2000 to 2008. As Chief Executive Officer, he successfully transformed NII from a start-up operation into a leading wireless provider with nearly 11.5 million subscribers. In recent years, he oversaw a financial restructuring of the company that included sales of its core businesses in Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Chile and Brazil. Mr. Shindler joined Nextel Communications, Inc. in 1996 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Nextel, Mr. Shindler was Managing Director of Communications Finance at The Toronto Dominion Bank, one of the largest suppliers of capital to the wireless industry. Mr. Shindler is also a founding partner of RIME Communications Capital, a firm that has invested in early stage media, tech and telco companies. Mr. Shindler graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Michigan and earned his Masters of Business Administration from Cornell University.

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