US electric vehicle (EV) producer Rivian has hired Frank Klein as its new Chief Operations Officer (COO) and Anisa Kamadoli Costa as the company’s first Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO).
Klein was previously the President at Austria-based automotive contract manufacturer Magna Steyr, a subsidiary of Canadian-based Magna International.
He will now be based in Normal, Illinois in the United States and will report directly to Rivian’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), RJ Scaringe. Klein succeeds Rod Copes, who retired from the position last year.
During his time at Magna Steyr, Klein oversaw the company’s shift to the electric mobility manufacturing space, including the production of the first electric vehicle made by a contract manufacturer.
At Rivian, Klein will lead the buildout of robust and stable operations processes as well as scaling vehicle production across several new programs. He will reinforce Rivian’s ongoing effort to achieve greater vertical integration in logistics, manufacturing, and operations.
Frank Klein, Rivian COO, said: “I’m hugely excited to be joining Rivian. It’s a company creating industry leading products and services that are helping to shape the future of the automotive industry.
“I share RJ’s vision and I’m looking forward to working with him and the team to drive growth and further Rivian’s mission.”
Rivian, who last year trademarked the names for six new models, also announced it is hiring Anisa Kamadoli Costa as the company’s Chief Sustainability Officer. She most recently held the position of Chief Sustainability Officer at Tiffany & Co. and Chairman and President of the Tiffany & Co. Foundation.
At Rivian, Kamadoli Costa will be responsible for the company’s sustainability roadmap for both the business and its products, and will help lead Forever, its philanthropic mission that includes the Rivian Foundation and Forever by Rivian, the social welfare organisation that Rivian established at its initial public offering (“IPO”) with one percent of its pre-IPO equity – 8.3 million shares.
Kamadoli Costa is the company’s first Chief Sustainability Officer and will report directly to Rivian’s Chief Executive Officer, RJ Scaringe.
During her nearly two decades at Tiffany & Co., Kamadoli Costa developed and led the company’s industry-leading, metrics-driven environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda, and strategically aligned the company’s philanthropy with its sustainability priorities centred on responsible mining, the oceans and land conservation.
Under Kamadoli Costa’s leadership, Tiffany & Co. consistently earned top sustainability ratings and was ranked number four on Barron’s “Most Sustainable Companies” list in 2020, when the company was publicly traded.
RJ Scaringe, Rivian CEO, said: “We could not be more thrilled to welcome Anisa to our leadership team. Across the organisation, she will help us integrate environmental and social impact into our decisions.
“The sustainability strategies we set today will have lasting influence on our company and our world and Anisa’s mindset positions her extremely well to lead and drive these critical activities.”
Rivian anticipates achieving carbon neutrality by 2028 in its own operations – referred to as Scope 1 and 2 emissions by Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the world’s most widely used greenhouse gas accounting standards – and by 2032 for Scope 3 categories along Rivian’s full value chain, from suppliers to owner vehicle charging.
As part of the job, Kamadoli Costa will also oversee the accounting of carbon emissions and other sustainability metrics, enabling data to be embedded into operations to inform decisions company-wide.
These include product design, manufacturing, energy and charging infrastructure, materials sourcing, responsible mining, and aggressive waste management. Anisa will drive progress in ways that holistically consider the social and environmental aspects of any course of action.
Rose Marcario, board member and chair of the Planet & Policy Committee, said “Sustainability is at the core of Rivian’s mission and with this important addition to the leadership team, the company’s structure reflects that.
“We’re giving the natural world, our communities and future generations a seat at the table, which is fundamental as we work to build a more liveable world.”
Last year US announced it was Rivian in talks with the UK government about a British factory and announced a collaboration with Adopt a Charger to install electric vehicle (EV) chargers in National Park and recreation areas in the US.
