John Stoddart Joins Ricardo's Board of Directors

VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich., May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ricardo, Inc. the U.S. subsidiary of Ricardo plc, announced the appointment of John Stoddart to its board of directors. An experienced military and defense professional, Stoddart will provide a wealth of knowledge to the Ricardo board.  

Stoddart is currently president of Stoddart Solutions Support, LLC, a management-consulting firm. Previously, he was executive vice president, Oshkosh Truck Corporation and president of Oshkosh defense business. Stoddart joined Oshkosh in 1995 and was appointed an executive member of the board of directors in 2001. During his time at Oshkosh he developed a strategic plan that grew defense sales and revenue from $450 million to more than $2 billion.

"Ricardo is dedicated to providing new solutions for the defense industry, with particular emphasis on fuel efficient and autonomous vehicles," said Kent Niederhofer, president of Ricardo, Inc.  "John Stoddart's experience and guidance will help Ricardo to continue to position ourselves as a leading provider of engineering solutions to the defense sector."

Stoddart served in the U.S. Army for more than 27 years and retired as a colonel. Prior to his military retirement, he was the U.S. Army Program Executive Officer for Tactical Wheeled Vehicles. Stoddart attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Army War College, and Defense Systems Management College. He also served on exchange with the British Armoured Corps and attended the Long Armour Infantry Course in the United Kingdom. Stoddart earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Nevada, Reno, master's degree in business administration from Babson College, and attended the Senior Officials and Security Intelligence program at Harvard University.

He is an active member in the Association of the United States Army, served on the Wisconsin Procurement Institute Board of Directors and the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Chancellor's Board of Directors. Stoddart was a board member of the National Defense Industrial Association and is the former chair of the Industrial Committee for Test and Evaluation, and served on the Defense Ethics Committee. In 2004, he received the U.S. National Guard Patrick Henry Award and has been inducted into the U.S. Army Ordnance Hall of Fame.  

About Ricardo

With technical centers and offices throughout Europe, the United States and Asia, Ricardo provides strategic consulting and engineering expertise ranging from vehicle systems integration, controls and electronics, and hardware and software development to the latest driveline and transmission systems and gasoline, diesel, hybrid and fuel-cell powertrain technologies. Ricardo's customers include the world's major automakers and suppliers as well as manufacturers in the military, commercial, off-highway and clean-energy sectors. The company also serves in advisory roles to governmental and independent agencies. Ricardo's U.S. operation, Ricardo, Inc., is headquartered in Van Buren Township, Mich.  Ricardo plc posted sales of $244 million in financial year 2010 and is a constituent of the FTSE TechMark 100 index – a group of innovative technology companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information, visit www.ricardo.com.

SOURCE Ricardo, Inc.