KENNEWICK, Wash., April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Infinia Corporation today announced that its Board of Directors has named Mike Ward to serve as the company's Chief Executive Officer.
Ward, 54, most recently served as President of Autoliv Americas, with 13,000 employees and $2.1 Billion in revenue, one of the largest operating divisions of Autoliv Corp. (NYSE: ALV), a leading provider of automotive airbag and safety restraint systems. Prior to that, he was President of Autoliv North America beginning in 2004. Ward joined Autoliv 25 years ago and played key engineering, sales, and operating roles during Autoliv's successful efforts to drive industry wide adoption of airbag systems.
Ward was inducted into the Shingo Academy in 2010 for his commitment to implementing lean principles driving operational excellence. He has a bachelor's and master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University and Louisiana State University, respectively.
"Solar power is a massive growth opportunity," said Ward. "Infinia has a well-established pipeline of customer demand with large scale commercial opportunities for the PowerDish. I am impressed by Infinia's core technology, its rigorous engineering, and the potential to change lives with cheap, broadly available solar power."
J. D. Sitton, Infinia's current CEO and board member since 2002, said, "My board colleagues and I are extremely pleased that Mike has agreed to join Infinia at this critical juncture. Mike has the international automotive industry manufacturing experience we need alongside a successful track record of bringing innovative products to market in rapid growth environments. More importantly, Mike has proven to be a very effective partner for Infinia during his tenure at Autoliv and is a capable leader who actively invests in people."
Mr. Sitton will remain with the Company, where he will continue to serve on the Board of Directors and drive the Company's efforts to build on existing relationships and establish new global strategic alliances.
Richard Shorten, Infinia's board chair and long-time Infinia investor added, "For the past eight years I have worked with Infinia to realize its goals and it is exciting that the company is ready for its next step – driving large scale commercialization of the PowerDish. The combination of Mike's leadership and proven execution skills with J.D.'s strategic vision are going to be formidable and I look forward to working with them to deliver on what I believe is one of the most compelling social and economic opportunities of our time."
"The PowerDish is a game-changing product and ready for launch," said Ward. "I am proud to join such a capable and aggressive team and I am looking forward to working with Infinia's customers, supply chain partners and employees to provide cost effective energy solutions now and for future generations."
Ward begins his duties on April 26th, 2011 and will be leading the company from its headquarters in Kennewick, Washington.
Infinia Corporation is an energy technology company commercializing the PowerDish™– a revolutionary solar power generation product. www.thePowerDish.com and www.InfiniaCorp.com
SOURCE Infinia Corporation
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