AMP Robotics Accelerates Growth With Key Leadership Hires

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AMP Robotics Corp., a pioneer in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics used to recover commodities reclaimed as raw materials for the global supply chain, has added several key leaders as it continues to expand and accelerate its work to remake the fundamental economics of recycling.

“Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our teams continue to support the resilience of our global supply chain by advancing the recycling industry and sustaining the essential public service it provides. We’re doing this by maintaining the pace of installations and helping facilities modernize infrastructure and operations with the help of AI and robotics,” said Matanya Horowitz, AMP founder and chief executive officer. “On the heels of a strong first quarter with revenue growth of over 50%, that trend continued, with strong demand, an increased sales pipeline, and a significant ramp in bookings into the second half of the year. We’re also pleased to welcome some notable new leaders to AMP, spanning local, tech, and recycling industry talent, who will help us build on our momentum and provide additional bandwidth and experience as we continue to grow.”

Jeff Loebbaka has come aboard as AMP’s new chief commercial officer to lead the strategic expansion of its business globally and to scale the business for growth. Loebbaka brings decades of experience leading, building, and scaling go-to-market functions at technology companies during critical expansion periods and hyper-growth stages. Throughout much of his career he has led marketing, sales, product, and service functions at venture-backed start-ups and S&P 500 technology companies. Most recently, he was executive vice president of global sales for Poly (NYSE: PLT) where he led Plantronics and Polycom post-merger go-to-market strategy and integration efforts to build a foundation for future growth, while leading a sales organization of more than 1,000 people. He led sales and go-to-market teams for Enphase  as it rapidly grew from a late-stage start-up to a $350M global business, including a successful IPO. Prior to that he was senior vice president of Europe, Middle East, and Africa for Seagate Technology. He started his career at Apple.

Mike Krings has joined AMP as vice president of operations, focusing on continuing to scale the business to meet demand and service AMP’s rapidly growing fleet of installations and customer base. He spent the last 11 years at Vestas Wind Systems, most recently as vice president and general manager, where he oversaw the company’s North American manufacturing operations of large-scale wind turbines and more than 1,100 employees. With more than 100 GW of wind turbines under service, Vestas is a leading manufacturer, installer, and servicer of wind turbines worldwide. Before Vestas, Krings spent more than 11 years with Advanced Energy Industries, a company that designs and manufactures thin film etch and deposition equipment used in semiconductor and solar applications, in various leadership roles including global operations, quality, supply chain management, and new product introduction. With Krings’ addition, Robb Espinosa assumes a new role as vice president of facility development. He will be responsible for managing a new development effort around integrating the company’s technology throughout recycling facilities’ operations.

AMP has also added Lisa James, a sustainability consultant and Waste Management veteran, as director of enterprise sales. James brings more than 15 years of experience in sustainability, recycling, reuse, and waste management to AMP. She held various strategic account management roles over her nearly 15 years at Waste Management, one of the largest waste management and recycling companies in North America. She served most recently as national account specialist for recycling and diversion, working with Fortune 500 companies with a focus on consumer packaged goods leaders, where she directed major recycling, diversion, and sustainability opportunities with national account clients and their locations. Prior to WM, she was in sales at Unisource Worldwide, a leader in paper and packaging supplies. Unisource is a subsidiary of Veritiv Corporation.

Finally, Boulder County “40 under 40” honoree Emilie Kintner will join AMP in late August to lead Talent and Culture, including the company’s efforts to attract and retain top Colorado tech talent. She was most recently vice president of People and Culture for Galvanize, a nationally recognized software engineering and data science bootcamp and co-working space. Passionate about culture and all things people, she also founded and serves as an advisor for Computer Science Education Week (Boulder), developed to serve the next generation of designers, developers, innovators, engineers, and entrepreneurs.

“As the demand for recycled materials increases, AMP has demonstrated continued growth and emerged as the leading solution in the recycling industry,” said Shaun Maguire, AMP board member and partner at Sequoia Capital. “These accomplished leaders will enhance AMP’s manufacturing prowess and industry acumen, and underscore how the company is modernizing recycling. We are confident that they will strengthen AMP’s internal teams, and in turn, help deliver more value to the recycling ecosystem and overall supply chain.”

AMP’s board is led by Horowitz and consists of Maguire, who led Sequoia's $16 million Series A raise for AMP last November; Abe Yokell, climate technology investment veteran and co-founder of Congruent Ventures; and Nat Kreamer, chief executive officer of the Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) and co-founder of Sunrun.