Former Forward Air CEO Tom Schmitt was named chief commercial officer for Nikola, the company announced Tuesday.
Schmitt will oversee company sales, commercial operations, dealerships, service, customer success, and marketing functions, according to the release. He will also be involved in scaling the company’s business. His first day on the job was Tuesday.
Nikola President and CEO Steve Girsky said Schmitt’s experience will help the company reach its strategic and operational goals.
“Fortifying our commercial team is crucial to our success as we focus on our customers’ experience and expanding the zero-emission Class 8 marketplace,” Girsky said.
Forward Air’s tumultuous acquisition of Omni Logistics led to a wave of executive departures that began in February with Schmitt stepping down from his role as president, chairman and CEO.
Schmitt served in numerous executive roles throughout his more than three-decade career.
Before joining Forward Air, he was a management board member and CCO for DB Schenker, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that, he was president and CEO at AquaTerra and CEO of Purolator.
Schmitt also spent more than a decade with FedEx Services, including as president and CEO of FedEx Supply Chain.
In announcing his new role at Nikola on LinkedIn, Schmitt said he looked forward to “changing what is possible in trucking. And moving America forward in a better way.”
