ChargePoint has appointed John Saffrett as Executive Vice President and Managing Director for Europe, bringing a highly-experienced executive to the EV charging company’s global executive team. His appointment comes after spending several months on ChargePoint’s Advisory Council.
New leadership at the top of ChargePoint’s European operations
John brings to ChargePoint decades of leadership experience across automotive, fleet management, and financial services firms, including executive roles at ALD Automotive, Ford, and Ayvens.
In the new role, John will take on responsibility for managing ChargePoint’s operations across Europe, and it comes at a key time for electrification within the region. EV sales in many European countries have reached record highs, and with that comes ever-increasing demand on EV charging – which ChargePoint notes has been further boosted by a ‘rapidly evolving regulatory landscape’. It also follows the announcement of two new OEM partnerships for ChargePoint, with Mercedes-Benz and Ford Pro.
John’s most recent role was as global deputy chief executive officer of Ayvens, where he played an instrumental role in merging ALD Automotive and LeasePlan to create one of the largest fleet management companies. Before that, John had a five-year stint as Chairman of the Board for Ford Fleet Management, as well as also spending over eight years at ALD Automotive (now part of Ayvens) in senior positions including Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive officer.
John Saffrett commented on his appointment:
“I am excited to take on this role at such a pivotal time for both ChargePoint and the European EV market. Having worked closely with the ChargePoint team as an advisor, I have seen firsthand the strength of the company’s people, technology, and platform. Europe’s transition to electric mobility is committed and accelerating, and ChargePoint is uniquely positioned to lead that transition as a market leader in hardware, software, platforms and experience as the longest serving and one of the largest players in the world in this space. I am looking forward to working with the team to help define what intelligent electrification means for our customers – Europe’s fleets, businesses, and drivers – and being a responsible leader in driving the electric transition in Europe.”
