Lordstown Motors puts ex-GM exec in new global operations role

LORDSTOWN — Lordstown Motors Corp. on Thursday announced a former General Motors executive will lead its global commercial operations.

John Whitcomb will start Monday as the electric vehicle startup's vice president of global commercial operations, a newly created position, according to an investor release. Whitcomb "will be responsible for driving the company's overall go-to-market strategy" ahead of its late-September goal to begin production of its all-electric pickup truck, the Endurance.

Whitcomb has more than 30 years of "diverse" global experience in the automotive industry. He is GM's former director of global retail and sales technology, where he established best practices and technology for GM's global sales. He most recently served as managing director of global automotive and mobility at Ernst & Young LLP, focusing on automaker "innovation and transformation initiatives," reads the release.

"As we turn the corner on our road to production, we are putting in place a deeply experienced team to manage the Lordstown Endurance's transition into commercial use, and we are pleased to be adding John to that team," Jane Ritson-Parsons, Lordstown Motors' new chief operating officer, is quoted in the release.

Whitcomb is expected to develop Lordstown Motors' business model for sales and service and help establish a national sales network. He'll be responsible for developing "service and after-sales strategies" as the Endurance hits the marketplace. He'll also be tasked with developing long-term international business strategies "to determine where and when to expand."

"Based on my decades of experience in the automotive industry and my assessment of the progress Lordstown Motors has made to date, I am excited to be joining the history-making team bringing the world's first all-electric commercial pickup truck to life," Whitcomb is quoted in the release.

"I truly believe in what Lordstown Motors has set out to do, and I am looking forward to getting to work with our customers across the country and, eventually, across the world."

Shares of Lordstown Motors (NASDAQ: RIDE) hovered just below $11 in the first two hours of trading Thursday. The stock's Wednesday closing price was $10.78, down more than 65 percent from a mid-February high of $30.75.

This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 12:30 PM with the headline "Lordstown Motors puts ex-GM exec in new global operations role."