Nikola Corporation Appoints New Chief Operating Officer

In her capacity as COO, Chan will lead the company’s engineering, program, product, supply chain, and manufacturing teams. Her appointment aligns with the vision of President and CEO Steve Girsky to streamline decision-making processes and bolster Nikola’s reputation for excellence in engineering and manufacturing.

“I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Mary for over a decade, and I cannot think of a more qualified individual to assume the role of COO at Nikola,” said Nikola President and CEO Steve Girsky. “Mary brings a solid understanding of business, combined with extensive experience in technology and transportation, spanning both engineering and management. Her expertise will be a tremendous asset to the Nikola team.”

“My career has been dedicated to pioneering smart transportation and wireless communications across automotive, telecommunications, and high-tech industries,” said Chan. “Joining Nikola represents the culmination of this journey, and I’m excited to be part of the team that will drive trucking to a zero-emissions future, encompassing trucking products, customer solutions, and the corresponding energy infrastructure.”

Chan was a Managing Partner at VectoIQ, where she assisted with the public launch of Nikola Corporation. She served as President of the Global Connected Consumer group at General Motors (GM) and built the next generation of connected infotainment products and OnStar broadband data services. She led the industry’s first launch of 4G LTE connectivity across GM’s global brands in the U.S., China, Europe, and Mexico.

Chan joined GM from Dell Inc., where she was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Enterprise Mobility Solutions & Services.

Prior to Dell, Mary held various EVP and SVP executive positions at Alcatel-Lucent and Lucent Technologies Inc. as President of 4G/LTE Wireless Networks and President of Global Wireless Networks.  She led the Wireless Business Unit with responsibilities across product management, R&D, and system deployment with a revenue stream greater than $7B.

Chan was previously named the “Top Woman in Wireless” by the Fierce Wireless Industry Daily.

Chan serves as an independent Board of Director for Magna International, SBA Communications, and CommScope.  She holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University.