executive leadership
ENGAGING FOR IMPACT
"Ideas are easy. Execution is everything."
-John Doerr
reaching the peak of success in any venture requires more than an idea, no matter how brilliant. It requires teamwork, creativity, determination and massive effort to overcome the setbacks and challenges that confront any significant endeavor. Inspiring, results-oriented leadership is the critical factor that separates organizations that achieve great things from those with just dreams.
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Transitioning from his role as a venture capital investor to a first-time CEO over a decade ago, Matt quickly learned that success in business is all about motivating individuals and teams to give their very best in tackling the challenge at hand. Since that time, Matt has made it his professional mission to build strong, purpose-driven cultures where team members are both supported and stretched in order to deliver the best work of their careers and superior results for their organizations. Matt is passionate about leading teams that are harnessing innovation to change the world, as demonstrated through his leadership at Rivian, Proterra and Propel Fuels.
RIVIAN AUTOMOTIVE
Matt joined Rivian in early 2020 as Executive Vice President, Energy and Charging Solutions, where he leads a growing team of passionate individuals building the energy infrastructure necessary to enable the world's transition to electric transportation. In his current role, Matt is responsible for product management of the company's charging and energy storage hardware and software systems, and is leading the company's commercial efforts to bring these products to market.
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An emerging leader in the electric vehicle industry, Rivian has raised over $4 billion to bring its electric adventure vehicles to the world and to deliver on Amazon's order of 100,000 electric delivery vans.
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PROTERRA
Matt recently served as the Chief Commercial Officer at Proterra, a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty electric transit vehicles, powertrain components and charging systems. At Proterra, Matt has held a variety of leadership responsibilities including product development, sales & marketing strategy and execution, customer finance, government relations, and customer service. Proterra has received numerous awards including being named to the Hall of Fame in the Global Cleantech 100 ranking, and the Technology Pioneer Award at the World Economic Forum.
Under Matt's leadership, Proterra has become the North American leader in electric bus deployments, and growing its annual sales at a CAGR of >100% over the last 5 years, booking approximately $1 billion in total sales. The company has also launched two new businesses - one as a global supplier of energy storage systems, electric drivetrains, and chargers to leading vehicle OEMs, and the second as a provider of turn-key charging infrastructure services.
PROPEL FUELS
Prior to joining Proterra in 2014, Matt served as CEO of Propel Fuels, Inc., a leading renewable fuels distributor and retailer. Matt led Propel through a period of high growth, earning Propel a spot on the Inc. 500 as one of America's fastest growing companies with 50X revenue growth over 5 years. Propel was also named #42 on Forbes' list of America's Most Promising Companies, as well as the 4th fastest-growing private company in Silicon Valley. While at Propel, Matt was responsible for attracting nearly $40M in public and private financing.
Under Matt's leadership, the company developed an innovative business model for the distribution of high-blend ethanol and biodiesel, with a focus on identifying cellulosic ethanol and algae-based biodiesel sources. The company also pioneered the concept of carbon-neutral gasoline (via RECs and offsets) and worked to build the convenience store of the future. For his contributions to the industry, Matt received the International Biofuels Leadership Award at the World Biofuels Markets Conference in Rotterdam.