Velo3D, Inc. has strengthened its board of directors with the addition of General Ellen Pawlikowski, an experienced commander and board member with strong roots in the aviation, space, and defense industries. This background and her in-depth knowledge of customers’ needs will support the growth in adoption of Velo3D’s additive manufacturing technology within these critical industries.
Pawlikowski’s appointment to the board is effective March 15, 2022. Additionally, the 12-person board will decrease in size to nine members with the planned resignation of early company investors Ricardo Angel, Jory Bell, David Cowan, and Sven Strohband following the company’s successful completion of the public listing on The New York Stock Exchange.
In addition to being an accomplished leader, Pawlikowski is an engineer with experience in research, development, and testing and has a deep understanding of customer needs. Her business acumen coupled with technical expertise will help Velo3D during its period of rapid growth in adoption of its end-to-end metal additive manufacturing solution.
“The Velo3D team is focused on delivering real-world results and meeting the promises we’ve made to our customers, investors, partners, and employees, and Ellen’s track record shows she can help us meet our challenging goals to land and expand within critical industries and broaden the adoption of our additive manufacturing technology,” said Benny Buller, Velo3D CEO and founder. “We’re honored to have Ellen join the board and her extensive experience working with innovators and leading organizations will help us capitalize on the blue-ocean opportunity ahead of us. I am also immensely grateful for the contributions of Ricardo, Jory, David, and Sven to the board over the course of their service and for believing in the vision of Velo3D.”
Pawlikowski currently serves on the boards of Raytheon, SRI international, and Applied Research Associates. She served in the U.S. Air Force for 36 years and retired as a 4-star general. Her last assignment was as the Commander of the US Air Force Materiel Command.
“Velo3D is a critical tool to innovation in the aerospace, aviation, and defense industries and I strongly believe that its technology can be transformative to its customers,” said Pawlikowski. “While it’s amazing to see how Velo3D is empowering customers to solve their biggest challenges today, I think that its additive manufacturing technology will be even more impactful on innovation in the future.”
Pawlikowski has a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. She also has a B.S. in chemical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.