Nikola appoints a former Volkswagen executive as CEO, effective January 1 next year

According to foreign media reports, on Wednesday, local time, US electric truck manufacturer Nikola announced that it would appoint Michael Rochelle (Michael Lohscheller), a former Volkswagen executive, as its chief executive (CEO), effective January 1, 2023.

According to LinkedIn, Lochelle served as chief financial officer (CFO) of Volkswagen Group in the United States for less than five years.

He joined Nikolai as president in February 2022 and has made some remarkable achievements, including having had a significant impact on promoting the serialization of Tre pure electric vehicles and achieving the milestone in the development of Tre fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV).

Before joining Nikolai, he was chief executive of Opel, leading the company to sustainable profitability and overseeing its transformation into a leading electric car brand.

According to foreign media reports, Lochelle will succeed Mark Russell as CEO and immediately join Nikolai's board of directors, while Nikolai's current CEO and president Russell will retire on January 1, 2023. Although Russell will retire from his CEO position, he will remain a member of the company's board of directors.

Russell, 59, joined Nikolai as president in 2019 and replaced Nikolai founder Trevor Milton (Trevor Milton) as chief executive in 2020. It is reported that Milton is accused of lying about the company and deceiving investors.