Karma names Kevin Pavlov as new COO

Kevin Pavlov, an accomplished global-operations executive from the transportation and consumer electronics industry, has joined Karma, the Southern California-based high-tech mobility incubator and creator of luxury electric vehicles, as Chief Operations Officer.

“Karma's technology-focused business strategy is attracting some of the industry's most innovative and entrepreneurial talent who recognize our growing brand value and strong path forward,” said Karma CEO Dr. Lance Zhou. “Kevin's strong technical background will play an important role in driving Karma's product and business strategy focused on licensing our engineering, design and manufacturing resources to other OEMs and start-up companies.”

Pavlov's senior management experience has been leveraged to lead cutting-edge technological and product developments for automotive OEMs and suppliers, large global corporations, government entities, and start-ups. He comes to Karma from a mergers and acquisitions consulting role at Ricardo US, and prior to that as Chief Executive Officer of Eco-Fueling Inc., a company focused on providing commercial vehicle powertrain solutions.

At Magna International, Pavlov served as Executive Vice President of the Ventures and Innovation group. Pavlov also held the position of President and Chief Operating Officer of Magna E-Car, the Magna International/Stronach Group joint venture, where he also served as a Board Director. Within this role, Pavlov lead the development and direction of E-Car, including its three divisions: Energy Components, Energy Storage, and Lithium Ion Battery manufacturing.

Prior to joining Magna, Pavlov was President and Chief Executive Officer of BluWāv Systems, which was acquired by Magna in 2008. In this role, Kevin had complete responsibility for corporate development and commercialisation of all transportation applications. BluWāv produced energy products including EV & HEV automotive components, off-vehicle charging components, and communications equipment.

“The opportunity to help drive Karma's path forward as a test-bed for emerging innovation and a supplier to others who need its resources to speed product development is compelling,” Pavlov said, describing his attraction to Karma, the only brand designing, engineering and building vehicles in Southern California. “This approach recognises a changing industry landscape and differs from the traditional automotive model focused purely on retail sales - it differentiates Karma from other start-ups who struggle to deliver a car to retail customers.”

Pavlov earned a bachelor's degree in electrical electronic engineering from the University of Detroit, a master's in electronics and computer control systems from Wayne State University, and an Executive MBA from the Advanced Management Program at Michigan State University. He is also in the process of completing an MBA in business turnaround management from the University of Detroit and holds more than 40 patents.