Agility Fuel Systems Names Kathleen Ligocki as CEO

Agility Fuel Systems, a developer and manufacturer of natural gas fuel systems for heavy duty vehicles, announced the appointment of Kathleen Ligocki as Chief Executive Officer effective December 3, 2015.

“With an impressive background in the automotive industry and entrepreneurial technology firms, as well as prior CEO experience at a variety of companies, we believe that Kathleen is uniquely qualified to lead Agility to the next level,” said Michael Gallagher, Agility’s Chairman of the Board.  “We are delighted to welcome her as CEO, and we would also like to thank Bill Nowicke for leading the company through this important transition period.”

Prior to joining Agility, Ms. Ligocki served as the CEO of Harvest Power, a leading organics management solutions company.  Previously, she was an Operating Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, one of Silicon Valley’s top venture capital providers, collaborating with the firm’s green tech ventures on strategic challenges, scaling operations and commercialization.  Ms. Ligocki has also served as CEO at Tower Automotive, a Fortune 1000 global automotive supplier, Next Autoworks, an auto company with a unique low-cost business model, and GS Motors, a Mexico City-based auto retailer owned by Grupo Salinas, a large Mexican conglomerate.

Ms. Ligocki has also held executive positions at Ford and United Technologies where she led operations in the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Russia.  Ms. Ligocki began her industrial career at General Motors.  She currently serves as a director on the board of Lear Corporation, a Fortune 200 automotive supplier, and formerly has served on numerous public, private and academic boards.  Currently, she is a fiduciary board member at the Indiana University Foundation.

Ms. Ligocki earned a bachelor’s degree with highest distinction in Liberal Studies from Indiana University Kokomo and holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.  She also has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Indiana University Kokomo and Central Michigan University.

“The continued innovation in Agility’s natural gas fuel systems and a brand new, vertically-integrated production facility in North Carolina will position the company to continue serving its expanding base of fleet and OEM customers,” said Ms. Ligocki. “I look forward to joining the Agility team as we continue to lead the way in adoption of a cleaner fuel in natural gas across the transportation industry.”

Bill Nowicke, Agility’s Interim CEO, who has led Agility since the departure of Barry Engle at the end of July, will return to his position as Chief Operating Officer and report directly to Ms. Ligocki. During his tenure as Interim CEO, Mr. Nowicke led the company through the opening of the new state-of-the-art production facility in Salisbury, North Carolina.