Daimler North America announces leadership shakeup

Executive suites for several titans of the heavy-equipment industry have a new look as key changes occurred in September. 

Daimler Truck North America 

Portland, Ore.-based Daimler Truck North America appointed T.J. Reed as chief executive of subsidiaries Freightliner Custom Chassis and Thomas Built Buses, according to a Sept. 9 release. His predecessor, Kevin Bangston, was named chief executive of Daimler Truck Financial Services North America. 

Reed will oversee sales, strategy and operations for FCC and TBB brands. He is also president of Daimler Truck Remarketing and will maintain that role until a successor is named.  

Reed joined Daimler Truck North America in 1998 as a custom application engineer for vocational trucks and has since held leadership roles in marketing, strategy and finance.  

Mitsubishi HC Capital America

Financial services firm Mitsubishi HC Capital America promoted Ann Brodette to senior vice president and general manager of its industrial equipment finance division effective immediately, according to a Sept. 16 release. She was senior vice president of sales for the transportation division for five years. 

The Norwalk, Conn.-based company has also hired James Elwood as senior vice president of strategic development for its construction division effective immediately, according to a Sept. 16 release. Elwood, who held leadership roles at BMO Bank and Bank of the West, will oversee financing strategies for construction equipment manufacturers and distributors. 

BriteCap Financial 

Las Vegas-based BriteCap Financial, a non-bank lender that provides equipment financing, named Richard Henderson as CEO effective immediately, according to a Sept. 16 release. He will replace Sri Kaza. 

Henderson has been with BriteCap since it was formed in 2023 as a subsidiary of North Mill Equipment Finance. He previously was chief revenue officer.  

ChargeScape 

Software company ChargeScape, a joint venture of Ford, Honda and BMW created last year, began operations in September and appointed Joseph Vellone as CEO, according to a Sept. 18 release. Kalidindi Raju was named chief technology officer. Both announcements were effective immediately.  

ChargeScape connects EVs with participating utilities and can send energy back into the power grid as needed.  

With 15 years of experience in energy and climate sectors, Vellone co-founded ev.energy, a software company that maximizes charging efficiency through its mobile app. Prior to that, he oversaw energy and environmental practices as a consultant at Boston Consulting Group. 

Raju previously held leadership roles at Amazon, OATI and other tech firms. His areas of expertise include cloud architecture, artificial intelligence, data engineering and product development, the release stated.