The board of directors of XL Fleet Corp., a provider of vehicle electrification solutions for commercial and municipal fleets, has appointed Eric Tech CEO, effective December 1.
Tech brings nearly 35 years of automotive and mobility industry experience and has held senior leadership positions at Navistar International Corp. and Ford Motor Co. He most recently served as senior vice president of corporate development at Navistar, a publicly traded global manufacturer and marketer of medium and heavy-duty vehicles and parts.
Among other accomplishments spanning his 15-year career at Navistar, Tech has developed the blueprint for Navistar’s strategic direction and further global expansion, including executing on transformational growth opportunities, identifying potential global alliances and driving profitability. At Ford, Tech held various senior level positions including chief engineer for super duty trucks, where he managed nearly $2 billion new product programs.
“We believe that Eric’s track record in delivering strong operating and financial results, including during challenging and dynamic business environments, makes him the ideal leader to help deliver the next generation of electrification solutions to customers,” says Debora Frodl, XL Fleet’s board chair. “He is a forward-thinking and performance-driven executive who brings more than three decades of deep industry experience combined with proven leadership capabilities at world-class companies. On behalf of the board, we are excited to have Eric join the XL Fleet team.”
Tech succeeds Dimitri Kazarinoff, who is stepping down from his position as CEO to pursue other career opportunities. Kazarinoff will support Tech to help ensure a smooth leadership transition through the end of the year. Upon his joining as CEO, Tech will also join the board.
“I am honored to accept this new role and to be a part of the future of XL Fleet,” says Tech. “I look forward to working closely with XL Fleet’s dedicated team to execute on the company’s strategic growth plans, deliver strong results for our stakeholders and help XL Fleet achieve its full potential. As cities, municipalities and enterprises are deepening their focus on meeting their sustainability goals, fleet electrification is more important than ever.”
Tech is an automotive and mobility industry veteran who joins XL Fleet after spending 15 years at Navistar. Most recently, he served as Navistar’s senior vice president of corporate development. Prior to that, Tech held various senior leadership positions at Navistar including senior vice president and co-chairman of Volkswagen Truck and Bus Alliance; senior vice president of strategy, planning and business development; president of global and specialty business; and president of global truck and engine. In these roles, Tech was responsible for leading teams and businesses generating more than $1 billion in annual revenues and over 3,000 global employees.
“With more than 150 million customer miles, strategic partnerships and more on-the-road experience than peers, I am confident that XL Fleet is well-positioned in the commercial fleet electrification industry. I am invigorated by the many opportunities ahead for XL Fleet’s business, including the expanding XL Grid and electrification-as-a-service offerings, and am ready to get started.”
Prior to joining Navistar, Tech spent two decades at Ford Motor Company and Jaguar Cars Ltd. in a variety of engineering, product planning and program management roles.
