Venray, the Netherlands, January 16, 2024 – Lightyear, a leading solar and automotive technology company, is preparing for the market introduction of Lightyear’s on-board solar products to the automotive industry with a change in company leadership. Lightyear is proud to announce the appointment of Bonna Newman as CEO and Marnix Borghouts as the new CFO. Lex Hoefsloot, the founding CEO, will remain in the company to support a smooth transition in the coming period and to focus on the longer-term potential of the company.
"We are excited to welcome Sunbo Angel Partners and Lighthouse as strategic investors. Our relationship began early this year at the CES in Las Vegas and our interactions in both the Netherlands and South Korea have facilitated a deeper relationship. As their limited partners (LPs) represent multiple automotive suppliers, this step also broadens our access within the strong South Korean automotive sector," said Lex Hoefsloot, CEO of Lightyear.

Under the leadership of Lex, Lightyear has firmly established itself as a global leader for the future of sustainable transportation. Over the past seven years, the company has pioneered in the field of solar electric vehicles. Lightyear has achieved remarkable success and developed an IP portfolio of highly-efficient electric vehicle innovations. This was demonstrated in the launch of the Lightyear 0, a groundbreaking solar car with unprecedented performance in 2021.

Lightyear is pleased to appoint Dr. Bonna Newman as CEO. Bonna brings exceptional experience in the solar and vehicle-integrated PV sector. As Lightyear now aims to offer its innovative on-board solar charging system technology to the entire passenger car market, her network, knowledge, and expertise will be valuable for maximizing impact. Bonna has a PhD in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and she has worked throughout the PV sector for almost two decades. She is a founding board member of the Alliance for Solar Mobility and a member of the executive committee of the European Technology and Innovation Platform for PV. She is recognized globally as a thought leader in the emerging solar mobility industry.

Bonna: “Lightyear has demonstrated how highly-efficient electric vehicles combined with on-board solar will accelerate the energy transition and benefit the world. Lightyear has set the stage for a new era of solar-powered mobility. I look forward to partnering our amazing team with the automotive industry to ensure the best on-board solar technology is available to everyone.”

Lex, the previous CEO, emphasizes: “I have great confidence in Bonna’s and Marnix’s leadership, their combined skillset is exactly what the company needs right now. I am confident they will take this company to new heights. As Lightyear is becoming more mature and shifts towards scaling of the on-board solar technology, my skills are best put to use in a different role within the company. I will focus on getting more of our automotive technology IP stack onto the market and find the right partners to execute on the commercial potential of the Lightyear vehicle”.

In addition, Marnix Borghouts, who started his career as a CPA at KPMG, is appointed as the new CFO. Marnix is an international, operational finance executive with over 30 years of global experience in a variety of industries. He has a solid track record on growth and turnaround, compliance, and delivering trust to both external and internal stakeholders. He brings in-depth and hands-on skills for growth, corporate finance, and strategy.

Lightyear eagerly anticipates the next chapter under the leadership of Bonna and Marnix in the pursuit of clean mobility solutions for everyone, everywhere.