EV Startup Canoo Appoints Former Diplomat Josette Sheeran as President

Electric vehicle manufacturer Canoo named Ambassador Josette Sheeran as President on July 26, effective immediately.

Sheeran has been a board member of Canoo since December 2020 and also serves as the Executive Chairman of the McCain Institute, a Washington think tank.

She has a sprawling and accomplished career in both government relations and in the nonprofit sector. She’s previously served as Vice Chair of the World Economic Forum and Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program, where she earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 for efforts there.

She also worked in the State Department under President Bush as U.S. under-secretary for economic, energy and agricultural affairs and deputy U.S. trade representative and ambassador covering Asia, Africa, labor environment, intellectual property and trade capacity building. In 2011, Forbes named her the 30th most powerful woman in the world.

Canoo went public in December 2020 through a reverse merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The EV manufacturer has developed a “skateboard,” or a low-rise base platform, which bundles batteries and electric motors together with components such as steering, brakes and wheels in which a variety of vehicle body types can be built on.

The company has plans to build an assembly plant in Oklahoma that would start production in 2023.

"I've gotten to know Josette over the last year since investing in Canoo, recruiting her to the board, and being able to work alongside her during the state selection process on our innovative advanced mega- micro manufacturing factory in Oklahoma," said Canoo Chairman and CEO Tony Aquila. "She brings vast experience in U.S. and global negotiations, supply chains, financing and partnerships and, in joining us full-time, will help me to build out the company to become the global leader in mobility to bring EV's to everyone."

Before her announcement as President, Sheeran was also serving on the Canoo Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee and the Compensation Comittee. The company is actively looking to fill that role.

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