Alberto Lacaze, President and Chairman of the Board (left) and Josh Aurajo, CEO (right)
with Maryland Governor Wes Moore (center).
RRAI Announces Strategic Leadership Transition in Pursuit of Autonomy Excellence
RRAI, a leading innovator in vehicle autonomy, announced a significant leadership transition to further propel the company's strategic growth plans and maintain its position as a leader in the field. Alberto Lacaze, Founder, has selected Josh Araujo, the current COO, to assume the position of CEO.
With over 20 years of experience spanning military, financial and operational leadership roles, Josh Araujo brings a wealth of expertise to his new role. A former Marine, Josh embodies the defense-first focus, enthusiasm for the mission, and a keen focus on organizational execution to lead RRAI.
Alberto Lacaze expressed his enthusiasm for the selection, stating: "This fully aligns with our strategic growth plans and ensures our continued pursuit of excellence in vehicle autonomy. Since founding our company, we've achieved remarkable success, and I am eager to continue that journey with this path forward. With Josh as CEO and a stellar leadership team in place, supported by the unwavering commitment and capabilities of our entire organization, I am confident in our ability to reach new heights and maintain our position as autonomy leaders."
Incoming CEO Josh Araujo shared his vision for the future, stating, "I’m honored and excited to step into the CEO role and I’m committed to continuing to support our engineers and employees as they deliver groundbreaking autonomy solutions to our customers. RRAI’s mission to deliver autonomous mobility in the most rugged environments in support of our soldiers and Marines is near and dear to me and is at the core of what drives us as a company."
This transition is a pivotal step in RRAI's long-term succession plan, designed to uphold the company's commitment to being at the forefront of vehicle autonomy by ensuring continuity in the company's culture of excellence, strengthening delivery of Department of Defense programs such as Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV), Ground Expeditionary Autonomous Retrofit System (GEARS), and Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires (ROGUE Fires), and by establishing strong partnerships on the commercial side as has been demonstrated with customers like TSIS specialized parking services and FPInnovations.
Robotic Research Autonomous Industries (RRAI) specializes in autonomy systems for complex driving environments, catering to both defense and commercial industries. RRAI is led by industry pioneers who played integral roles in developing the concepts and definitions of modern autonomy. The company has forged enduring partnerships with the Defense Department and prominent commercial Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) representing heavy industry, logistics, and distribution sectors.
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