• Rocket Lab Chief Operations Officer Frank Klein brings more than 30 years of global automotive and advanced manufacturing experience, including Rivian Automotive and Mercedes-Benz
• Yale University Senior Vice President for Operations Geoffrey Chatas adds 25 years of financial leadership and energy infrastructure expertise

COLUMBUS, Ohio: #AI--Path Robotics, the global leader in physical AI for manufacturing, announced today the appointment of two industry leaders as independent members of its board of directors: Frank Klein, chief operations officer at Rocket Lab Corporation, and Geoffrey Chatas, senior vice president for operations at Yale University. The appointments reflect Path’s continued momentum and reinforce the company’s mission to integrate physical AI into traditional manufacturing processes, enabling manufacturers to build more, reshore production, and improve quality, despite increasing labor constraints.

Frank Klein, Chief Operations Officer, Rocket Lab

Klein is widely recognized for scaling some of the world's largest technical, manufacturing-heavy corporations, spending the last 30 years in the automotive industry. His leadership includes launching electric vehicles at Rivian, overseeing global production for Mercedes-Benz Vans, leading full vehicle engineering and manufacturing at Magna Steyr as the first contract manufacturer to produce an electric vehicle, and he now directs worldwide operations at Rocket Lab.

“Frank embodies the kind of bold, mission-driven leadership we value,” said Andy Lonsberry, co-founder and CEO of Path Robotics. “He is unafraid to take risks, driven by results, and relentlessly committed to building things that last. His deep expertise in scaling technically complex systems across continents, teams, and technologies makes him an invaluable addition as we scale physical AI for manufacturing and exponentially expand deployments."

According to Klein, Path is addressing the very challenges he has confronted repeatedly on factory floors worldwide.

“I’ve spent decades in manufacturing plants and have felt firsthand the pain of missing production targets because we couldn’t hire or retain enough skilled welders,” said Klein. “What Path is building with physical AI directly addresses that challenge and has, and will continue to, truly revolutionize modern manufacturing. Helping Path to grow and solidify its leadership in the industry is an honor and a privilege.”

Geoffrey Chatas, Senior Vice President for Operations, Yale University

Chatas brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across finance, operations, and higher education, with a proven track record of stewarding large, complex institutions through periods of growth. Prior to his current role at Yale University, Chatas held senior leadership roles at several major institutions, including executive vice president at the University of Michigan, chief operating officer at Georgetown University, and chief financial officer at The Ohio State University. Before entering higher education, he held senior finance roles at J.P. Morgan, Progress Energy, American Electric Power, Banc One Capital Corporation, and Citibank.

“Geoff brings a disciplined, long-term perspective shaped by decades of leading complex institutions at scale,” said Lonsberry. “His expertise in capital strategy, governance, and operational excellence will be invaluable as we continue to grow and position Path for its next phase.”

“Path is advancing solutions that are delivering meaningful impact across industrial manufacturing,” said Chatas. “Drawing on my experience across finance, operations, the energy sector, and startup environments, I’m eager to work alongside the team in support of its continued growth and innovation, while delivering long-term value for Path’s customers and partners.”

Klein’s and Chatas’ appointments come during a period of rapid growth for Path as the company accelerates adoption of its physical AI solutions across manufacturing sectors worldwide. Together, Klein and Chatas strengthen the board’s operational, financial, and strategic depth as Path enters its next phase of growth.

For more information on Path’s leadership team and board of directors, click here.

About Path Robotics

Path Robotics builds physical AI for manufacturing, starting with its welding model, Obsidian­™. Path’s intelligent welding cells perform the complex, variable welds that traditional automation cannot, enabling manufacturers to overcome chronic labor shortages while increasing production capacity, and improving quality. Since its founding in 2018, the company has raised more than $300 million to incorporate intelligence through physical AI into legacy manufacturing processes, turning traditionally impossible-to-automate work into reliable, high-throughput, and high-quality production. By combining artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computer vision, Path’s physical AI enables legacy manufacturing processes to see, think, and adapt, in real time, turning the complexity that made automating these traditional processes impossible into a reality.

Fonte: Business Wire