SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amid the continuing rollout of the fully autonomous AMP-L100 electric professional mower, FireFly Automatix, Inc. today announced the appointment of former WPP Group CFO, Paul Richardson, to its Board of Directors. In this role, Richardson will leverage his decades of experience gained from Global 500 company transactions to assist in the execution of capital formation and growth strategies that will help to propel FireFly’s continued high growth in 2024 and beyond.
The 2023 premier of FireFly’s AMP-L100, the company’s first fully autonomous and EV offering, has been the most successful launch in the company’s 14-year history, and is paving the way for the company’s next phase of accelerated growth and technology progress. Along with the recently announced appointment of capital markets professional Liz Hocker, Richardson’s experience as former board member and CFO adds tremendous strengths to FireFly’s strategic growth and management team.
“Paul Richardson brings an extraordinarily deep skill set and acumen to FireFly from his decades of service in the operational strategy and finances of WPP,” said Andrew Limpert, CEO of FireFly Automatix. “With his robust financial experience, Paul is the ideal executive to chair our audit committee and to play a key role in preparing the company for coming seasons of growth. I’m delighted to welcome him to our team as we take FireFly to new levels.”
Previously, Richardson served as a board member and Chief Financial Officer of WPP Group from 1996 to 2020, where he was responsible for WPP Group’s worldwide functions in finance, information technology, procurement, property, treasury, taxation, internal audit, and corporate and social responsibility initiatives.
WPP Group is a Fortune Global 500 company comprised of advertising, marketing, and media agencies with annual revenues of $17B and employs over 100,000 people in 110 countries. At WPP Group, Richardson was heavily involved with the company’s M&A activity, including WPP’s acquisitions of Young & Rubicam, Grey Global Group, Taylor Nelson Sofres, and 24/7 Real Media.
Prior to WPP, Richardson served as non-executive director of two companies associated with WPP Group: Chime Communications PLC from 1997 to 2014 and STW Communications Group Limited in Australia from 1999 to 2020. Mr. Richardson also served on the board of Ceva Group PLC (a subsidiary of Apollo) as Chairman of the Audit Committee from 2008 to 2013. Prior to this, Richardson worked for Beecham Finance as Assistant Treasurer of Beecham Group (now GlaxoSmithKline) from 1982 to 1985 and as Deputy Treasurer at Hanson Trust from 1986 to 1992.
Richardson trained as a Chartered Accountant in London with KPMG and is a Fellow of the Association of Corporate Treasurers. He was awarded the FTSE 100 Finance director of the year in 2007. He received a degree from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom.
Mike Pettingill, FireFly’s CFO, shared, “Paul Richardson brings a unique blend of detailed operational expertise, ‘Big Vision’ and humility to FireFly. His guidance will be invaluable as FireFly aggressively expands to new markets.”
About FireFly Automatix, Inc.: Founded in 2010 in Utah’s Silicon Slopes technology hub, FireFly Automatix, Inc. is a technology leader for turfgrass industries. From its headquarters in Salt Lake City, the company manufactures a continuum of autonomous, hybrid, and electric equipment for the golf, sports turf, and natural grass sectors. Their products provide increased productivity, fuel and labor savings, and data and connectivity to agriculture and turf management. For more information, visit fireflyautomatix.com.
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