New people at UBCO

Electric adventure vehicles supplier Tauranga-founded UBCO has five new board and executive appointments.

Joining UBCO’s board of directors are Foster Chiang, Dino Vendetti and Bryn Fosburg, while two executive appointments are Kim Chaumillon as chief people officer and Chirag Patel as supply chain and manufacturing senior vice president.

These international appointments accompany UBCO’s expeditious growth into global markets driven by record demand, deepening distribution in US networks, and providing new global operations centres.

With the support of US$20m capital raised in 2021 from existing investors, and recent investment activity, UBCO will further its leadership position in the electric adventure vehicle (EAV) category, it says.

Known for its electric utility bikes, UBCO plans to double its talent acquisition, particularly in product and technology, operations and supply chain and sales and marketing, with an emphasis in the US market.

“The wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise across multiple markets will be immensely beneficial to our continued growth plans into 2022 and beyond,” UBCO chief executive Katherine Sandford says of the new appointments.

Sandford replaces former chief executive Timothy Allan.

Chiang is the former vice chairman of TPK Holding Co Ltd.

“Since partnering with UBCO on a global supply chain agreement with TPK, I have seen the team go from strength to strength and scale at a breakneck pace,” he says, aiming to continue to guide UBCO in its next global expansion phase.

Vendetti, director of Seven Peaks Ventures, and a backer in UBCO’s previous funding round, brings a wealth of experience in technology, start-up investment and business development to the board and will leverage his relationships across North America to accelerate UBCO’s growth there.

Fosburgh has been responsible for the creation and growth of many multi-billion-dollar businesses during almost 30 years at industrial technology giant Trimble.

Also from Trimble plus Quark Inc and Herman Miller, Chaumillon says UBCO is at an exciting development stage and she’s keen to “shape and nurture the team culture as it scales globally”.

Patel brings to his new role more than 30 years of experience in engineering, operations management and product development. An avid lover of biking and the outdoors, Patel will use his wide range of experience to grow and develop the operations team, and engage product development and supplier teams across the board.

Launched in 2015, UBCO produces EAVs for adventure, urban trips and heavy-duty work and is now also in Australia, the US, United Kingdom and Europe.