Rivian Announces Klein as COO

Irvine-based Rivian Automotive Inc. (Nasdaq: RIVN) today announced Frank Klein will be chief operations officer, effective June 1. 

Klein will be based in Normal, IL, the location of the EV maker’s primary manufacturing plant. He will replace Rod Copes, who retired from Rivian last December.  

Previously, Klein was president of Austria-based Magna Steyr, an automotive contract manufacturer of Canada’s Magna International. Over the past three years, he led Magna’s move to the electric mobility industry and oversaw the production of its first electric vehicle. Klein also has a 27-year history with Daimler AG in various management roles, ending up as head of Mercedes-Benz Vans Operations in Germany. 

Klein will focus on scaling up Rivian’s production and supply chain operations, according to Bloomberg.  

“It’s a company creating industry leading products and services that are helping to shape the future of the automotive industry,” Klein said in a statement.