Rivian Adds Former Hyundai Motor America CEO To Board Of Directors

John Krafcik has over 35 years of experience in the auto industry and was the CEO of Waymo, Google’s self-driving car project.

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Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Aug 4, 2023 at 5:12am ET

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Rivian, the maker of the R1S SUV, R1T pickup, and Amazon Electric Delivery Van (EDV), has added John Krafcik to its board of directors, citing his experience of over 35 years in the automotive industry, according to Automotive News.

Previously, Krafcik, 61, was the CEO of Waymo, also known as Google’s self-driving car project, leaving the company in 2020 after more than five years as head honcho but continued as an adviser until last year. Before Waymo, Rivian’s new board of directors member was the president of TrueCar, an online car marketplace, and the CEO of Hyundai Motor America.

"John has tremendous leadership experience in the automotive industry and an impressive track record of building and leading innovative companies," Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said. “His expertise in manufacturing engineering and automotive technology will be a valuable addition to our team."

According to his LinkedIn profile, Krafcik worked for nearly 10 years at Hyundai Motor America, where he first served as vice president of product development and later as CEO, leaving in December 2013.

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This is just the latest addition to Rivian’s group of experienced automotive professionals. A few days ago, the California-based EV marque named Alan Hoffman as Chief Policy Officer, with the job description saying he will be responsible for implementing the company’s global public policy and regulatory strategy.

Prior to Rivian, Hoffman was the head of Corporate Affairs at Carvana, an online car buying and selling platform, and before that, he acted as Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for Herbalife Nutrition for over eight years. Furthermore, he was Senior Vice President for Global Public Policy and Government Relations at PepsiCo, as well as having served as the Deputy Chief of Staff to then Vice President Biden and Deputy Assistant to President Obama.

Moreover, an Automotive News report from last month says that Porsche Cars North America’s former CEO, Kjell Gruner, will also join the electric vehicle start-up in an undisclosed role after making an abrupt exit from his previous position at the German sports car brand. The publication cited sources familiar with the matter, but the information hasn’t been confirmed by Rivian.

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In any case, it looks like Rivian is stepping things up in the Human Resources department, getting precious talent onboard for its planned expansion which includes a second factory in Georgia and an all-new, more affordable EV platform known as R2.

As always, we’d like to know what you think about this, so head over to the comments section below to give us your thoughts.