Former Hewlett Packard Executive Named CEO of Zero Motorcycles

Dennis Chung
by Dennis Chung

Zero Motorcycles has named Richard Walker its new chief executive officer, completing its executive management team. Walker brings to Zero with 30 years of business experience, mostly in the computer and home electronics industries.

Most recently, Walker served as executive vice president of the products group for Control4 which produces automation and control systems for home electronics. Before joining Control4, Walker served as vice president and general manager of Hewlett Packard‘s consumer desktop business division.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to join a dynamic team and help lead a new and innovative company to higher levels of performance and success,” says Walker. “My goal is to ensure that Zero Motorcycles continues to grow and lead the electric motorcycle industry through product innovation and sound management, while never losing sight of our goal to build a ‘better motorcycle’ for our customers to enjoy.”

The new CEO completes an executive management team that has been overhauled under the auspices of The Invus Group, the investment group that had been financing Zero since 2008. The Invus Group increased its investment in Zero in 2011 and since then, the company has seen the departure of its founder Neal Saiki and the retirement of former CEO Gene Banman.

Walker joins a management team that now includes Scot Harden, Abe Askenazi, John Borofka, John Lloyd, Jay Friedland and Mark Kennedy.

“The entire board is delighted that Richard is taking the helm of the Zero Motorcycles executive team,” says Philippe Amouyal, board member of Zero Motorcycles and managing director of The Invus Group, LLC. “Richard will contribute great business acumen, superb leadership, deep executive management skills and profound consumer insights to drive Zero Motorcycles forward and further enhance its leadership position in a critically important and fast-growing segment of the motorcycle industry and build a powerful, trusted consumer brand. Zero Motorcycles is in the enviable position of benefiting from the combined efforts of a very deep executive team that is committed to its success, to the success of its business partners and to the delight of the fast-growing number of consumers enjoying the thrill and unbridled joy of owning and riding a Zero Motorcycle.”

[Source: Zero]

Dennis Chung
Dennis Chung

Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.

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