Former Westport Fuel Systems executive Ashoka Achuthan has joined Karma Automotive, a Southern California-based luxury electric vehicle (EV) maker, as chief financial officer (CFO).
Achuthan previously served as CFO and a senior advisor at natural gas transportation technology company Westport. According to Karma, Achuthan is joining the company to help facilitate business growth during a period of rapid product introduction.
“Ashoka’s strong financial business acumen will help shape Karma’s evolution from a quiet and humble start-up company to a dynamic luxury electric vehicle automaker focused on design, advanced technology, customization and VVIP customer treatment,” says Dr. Lance Zhou, CEO of Karma.
At Westport, Achuthan oversaw all operational finance activities. Previously, he spent 23 years at Siemens AG in Asia, Europe and North America, where his last position was executive vice president and CFO. He also served in CFO roles at Cooper Industries Inc., ATC Technology Corp. and Coda Automotive.