Blink Board Approves Sr. Executive Team Expansion to Prepare and Meet the Demands of the Accelerated EV Industry Growth
Miami Beach, Fla. – December 6, 2022, Blink Charging Co. (NASDAQ: BLNK, BLNKW) (“Blink”), a global leading owner, operator and provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment and services, today announced the Blink Board of Directors approved three significant additions to Blink’s executive leadership with the appointment of Michael Battaglia as Chief Revenue Officer, Mark Pastrone as Chief Operating Officer and Aviv Hillo, Esq. as Executive Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions. These appointments mark an elevated focus towards Blink’s accelerated growth and meeting the industry’s demand for reliable charging solutions as EV sales continue to climb.
“I am excited about the growth and viability of Blink Charging and with these additions to the senior executive team, I am confident we will meet the challenges ahead and thrive, having the right people in the right place,” said Michael D. Farkas, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Blink Charging. “We have identified our needs in order to meet the growing demands of the EV charging industry and with this accomplished and unparalleled group of industry experts, Blink will continue to be a leader in providing EV charging solutions.”
Mike Battaglia has served as Sr. Vice President of Sales and Business Development for Blink since December 2020. He will assume the position of Chief Revenue Officer, a position not currently filled, and will play a vital role in the company’s growth. In this capacity, Mr. Battaglia will oversee Blink’s global sales organization, develop go-to-market strategies, and identify new overseas expansion opportunities. Prior to joining Blink, Mr. Battaglia served as Vice President of Sales at JD Power. Mr. Battaglia earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance from the Boston College Carroll School of Management.
“I am tremendously excited to lead our talented group of global business development and sales professionals as we pursue our aggressive company revenue targets. Our goal is to create an efficient, customer-focused sales organization that effectively capitalizes on EV charging market opportunities in every region we serve,” says Battaglia.
Mark Pastrone has served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Company’s subsidiary SemaConnect, acquired in June 2022, where he played a key role in building the company’s sales, service, technology, and production capabilities. Mr. Pastrone will now serve as COO for Blink as the two companies align all operational activities. In his new role he will focus on achieving synergies and operational efficiencies for Customers Service, Installation Operations, and Charger Production. Prior to his role at SemaConnect, Mr. Pastrone worked in the aerospace industry, and led the development of several commercial space ventures at Orbital Sciences Corporation including GeoEye, acquired by Maxar. Mr. Pastrone earned a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. He also holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Pastrone commented, “Blink is a growing US and Global company that now operates in 25 countries. Our goal is to create best in class process and procedures that will continue to support Blink’s position as a dominate global player for all different types EV Chargers, Services and Business Models.”
The Board also approved the appointment of Aviv Hillo, Esq. as Executive Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions, in addition to his role as Blink’s General Counsel. Mr. Hillo has served as General Counsel since June 2018, and in addition to those duties will focus on the company’s M&A strategies as Blink continues to expand its leading position in the market. Prior to joining Blink, Mr. Hillo was a partner at New York and Israeli boutique law firms (Schechter Hill and Yerushalmi & Associations), had several positions as General Counsel and was a co-founder, and Deputy CEO in an Israeli-American Laser tech entity. Mr. Hillo graduated from the Tel Aviv School of Law in 1993, and received his Master’s Degree (cum laude) in Banking, Corporate and Finance Law at Fordham School of Law in 2001. He was admitted to the Israeli Bar in 1994 and to the New York State Bar in 1999.
“While we continue our amazing growth, both organic and via acquisitions, I am excited to contribute to the company’s actions and strategies for M&A. Blink has a deep and successful history in acquiring other EV Charging companies. We will continue to be inquisitive towards the industry while focusing on the company’s growth and expansion the company,” said Hillo.
“As the EV industry continues to grow at an amazing rate, the Board recognized the need to enhance and expand on Blink’s leadership at the highest level,” said Cedric Richmond, former Congressman and Blink Charging Board Member. “The Board has full confidence with the assembled leadership team and the industry as a whole will benefit from the amassed talent and experience they offer.”
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About Blink Charging
Blink Charging Co. (Nasdaq: BLNK, BLNKW), a leader in electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment, has deployed nearly 59,000 charging ports across 25 countries, many of which are networked EV charging stations, enabling EV drivers to easily charge at any of Blink’s charging locations worldwide. Blink’s principal line of products and services includes the Blink EV charging network (“Blink Network”), EV charging equipment, EV charging services, and the products and services of recent acquisitions, including SemaConnect, Blue Corner and BlueLA. The Blink Network uses proprietary, cloud-based software that operates, maintains, and tracks the EV charging stations connected to the network and the associated charging data. With global EV purchases forecasted to rise to 10 million vehicles by 2025 from approximately 2 million in 2019, Blink has established key strategic partnerships for rolling out adoption across numerous location types, including parking facilities, multifamily residences and condos, workplace locations, healthcare/medical facilities, schools and universities, airports, auto dealers, hotels, mixed-use municipal locations, parks and recreation areas, religious institutions, restaurants, retailers, stadiums, supermarkets, and transportation hubs. For more information, please visit https://blinkcharging.com/.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined within Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements, and terms such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “should” or other comparable terms, involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. Those statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of Blink Charging and members of its management, as well as the assumptions on which such statements are based. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, including our estimate of U.S. charger production and those described in Blink Charging’s Q3 2022 Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed with the SEC, and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Except as required by federal securities law, Blink Charging undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed conditions.