Volta Industries, Inc. (“Volta”), an industry leader in commerce-centric electric vehicle (EV) charging networks, has named Francois Chadwick as CFO. Chadwick previously served as vice president, Finance, Tax & Accounting at Uber Technologies, Inc.
In his new role, Chadwick will be responsible for leading Volta’s finance team, including guiding growth plans following the completion of Volta’s previously-announced proposed business combination transaction with Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II, a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company. Reporting to Chris Wendel, co-founder and president of Volta, Chadwick will bring his decades of expertise to use in building out a growth-oriented financial function. In particular, he will oversee financial planning, capital markets, compliance, accounting, tax and capital allocation strategy. He will also guide strategic policy decisions with key regulators and tax authorities.
Chadwick comes to Volta with more than 25 years of experience as a senior finance professional working in areas such as IPO finance and readiness, tax, compliance, accounting, strategy, business operations, mergers and acquisitions, financial planning and process design – with a particular focus on growth stage strategies. During his time at Uber, Chadwick was part of the team that scaled the company globally, orchestrating the launch of Uber in more than 100 countries and guiding its global growth plans. He helped to build Uber as it went through both the IPO and post-IPO process. Under his leadership, Chadwick built and coordinated a team of 200+ global professionals. He also served as a Board Member of Uber International CV.
Debra Crow, Volta’s previous CFO who helped take Volta from a Series C funding to the present, will remain with Volta as a senior executive reporting to Wendel.
Founded on the premise that the electrification of mobility is one of the largest infrastructural shifts of this generation, Volta builds and operates a nationwide EV charging network that is centered around the evolving spending habits caused by the move to electric vehicles. Volta’s business model is to build open-network charging stations in locations where drivers already spend their time and money, including grocery stores, pharmacies and other retail locations.
“Francois brings a deep background in mobility, and a proven track record of success managing the complex requirements for high growth companies entering the public markets,” said Wendel. “His business experience in rapid deployments on the ground in multiple cities, as well as internationally, while synthesizing multiple business lines to a larger whole, will be a tremendous asset to Volta as we prepare to complete our business combination and accelerate growth and drive revenue.”
Prior to joining Uber, Chadwick was the National Tax Leader – Emerging Growth Practice at KPMG, where he focused on global hyper-growth tech companies. Prior to his time at KPMG, Mr. Chadwick served as CEO of the consulting firm, Taxaccord LLC. Earlier in his career, he held positions at BDO, Jefferson Wells and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Chadwick graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Liverpool John Morres University.
“I could not be more thrilled to help Volta execute on its growth plans at such an important time for the company,” said Chadwick. “Volta is a leader in EV charging infrastructure, with a truly unique business model. I look forward to putting my experience to work to help the company accelerate its vision and growth at such a pivotal and exciting moment in the EV industry.”
