Management

Stephen J. Girsky is president and CEO of Nikola Corporation, a global leader in zero-emissions transportation and energy supply and infrastructure solutions.

Girsky serves as managing partner of VectoIQ, LLC, an independent advisory firm based in New York. He served as president and CEO of VectoIQ Acquisition Corp. I from its incorporation in January 2018 until the consummation of its business combination with Nikola Corporation. He has more than 30 years of experience working with corporate board executives, labor leaders, OEM leaders, suppliers, dealers, and national policymakers.

Girsky served in a number of capacities at General Motors from November 2009 until July 2014, including vice chairman. He served as chairman of the Adam Opel AG Supervisory Board and was president of GM Europe for a period of time. He was a special advisor to the CEO and CFO of General Motors Corporation from August 2005 to June 2006.

Girsky served as president of Centerbridge Industrial Partners, an affiliate of Centerbridge Partners, LP, and a multibillion-dollar investment fund. Mr. Girsky also previously served as managing director at Morgan Stanley and as senior analyst of the Morgan Stanley Global Automotive and Auto Parts Research Team.

He is on the board of directors at Nikola Corporation, Brookfield Business Partners Limited, the general partner of Brookfield Business Partners, L.P. (NYSE: BBU; TSX BBU.UN), as well as a private company, Clarios, which is a leader in battery manufacturing. Girsky served on the Board of U.S. Steel from 2016 to 2021 and on the General Motors Board of Directors following its emergence from bankruptcy in June 2009 until June 2016. He also served as the lead director of Dana Holdings Corp. from 2008 to 2009. 

Girsky received a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from the University of California at Los Angeles and a master of business administration from the Harvard Business School.

Mary Chan is chief operating officer of Nikola Corporation, a global leader in zero-emissions transportation and energy supply and infrastructure solutions. 

Prior to Nikola, Chan was a Managing Partner at VectoIQ, where she assisted with the public launch of Nikola Corporation. She served as President of the Global Connected Consumer group at General Motors (GM) and built the next generation of connected infotainment products and OnStar broadband data services. She led the industry’s first launch of 4G LTE connectivity across GM’s global brands in the U.S., China, Europe, and Mexico. 

Chan joined GM from Dell Inc., where she was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Enterprise Mobility Solutions & Services.  

Prior to Dell, Mary held various EVP and SVP executive positions at Alcatel-Lucent and Lucent Technologies Inc. as President of 4G/LTE Wireless Networks and President of Global Wireless Networks.  She led the Wireless Business Unit with responsibilities across product management, R&D, and system deployment with a revenue stream greater than $7B. 

Chan was previously named the “Top Woman in Wireless” by the Fierce Wireless Industry Daily. 

Chan serves as an independent Board of Director for Magna International, SBA Communications, and CommScope. She holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University. 

Britton Worthen is executive vice president, chief legal officer, and corporate secretary of Nikola Corporation, a global leader in zero-emissions transportation and energy supply and infrastructure solutions. He is also a member of the company’s senior leadership team and works closely with its board of directors.

In his role as chief legal officer, Worthen is responsible for overseeing Nikola’s worldwide legal affairs including securities compliance, intellectual property, litigation, and other general corporate matters.

Before joining Nikola, Worthen was a partner at the Phoenix law firm of Beus Gilbert McGroder PLLC where he represented a wide array of clients on commercial litigation, intellectual property, and general corporate matters.

Worthen graduated with honors from the University of Michigan Law School and completed his undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University.

Joseph Pike oversees all HR-related activities for Nikola, a global leader in zero-emissions transportation and energy supply and infrastructure solutions. His responsibilities include organizational design, total rewards, recruiting, HR operations, and talent development. Prior to joining Nikola, he was the senior director of talent at Vista Outdoor where he led the company’s talent acquisition, leadership, and organizational development functions.

Before working at Vista, Pike worked with the H.J. Heinz Company in Pittsburgh in HR-related roles of increasing responsibility, including HR business partner for the company’s corporate team supporting the CFO, General Counsel, CHRO, SVP of Marketing, SVP of Communications and SVP of Investor Relations. Prior to working at Heinz, he was a part of Aon Corporation in Chicago and held a variety of positions, including work as a senior project manager and engagement consultant where he consulted more than 20 Fortune 500 and mid-market clients on strategic management decisions aligned with employee engagement assessments.

Pike graduated with the highest academic honors from the Marriott School of Management with a master’s degree in Public Administration and cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Brigham Young University.

Joseph S. Cappello is President, Nikola Energy of Nikola Corporation, a global leader in zero-emissions transportation and energy supply and infrastructure solutions. Cappello began his career as a Sell-side Chemical Analyst on Wall Street before joining Praxair, now Linde, where he held roles of increasing responsibility over a 15-year period. 

His first corporate assignment at Praxair was leading investor relations, followed by operating roles managing the U.S. CO2 business, Global Helium business, and the Pipeline Services organization. He was then named VP, North America where he led the company’s Product Management Group, which included the largest merchant hydrogen portfolio in the U.S. Additionally, Joe piloted the business units responsible for the expansion of the company’s position throughout Asia Pacific as President of Praxair Asia, based in Shanghai. 

Cappello then transitioned to the Private Equity sector, leading business units in two separate companies. His leadership played a significant role in the success of both organizations, including managing one of the largest off-road energy transportation and logistics businesses in the U.S. 

In 2019, Cappello assumed the role of Chairman and CEO of Iwatani Corporation of America (ICA) and was subsequently named Senior Managing Officer of Iwatani Corporation. Under his guidance, ICA grew significantly through acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and transformative investments, resulting in the establishment of four new U.S. Business Platforms: Hydrogen, Specialty Gases, Helium, and Industrial Gases. 

Cappello earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Montclair State University and a Master of Business Administration from New York University, Stern School of Business.