Thorsten Heins, former CEO of Blackberry, has taken over the lead of wireless power startup Powermat Technologies from the company’s founder, Ran Poliakine, BNN writes. The company based in Israel is involved in the production of wireless charging stations for mobile devices capable of doing so, set to be rolled out in Starbucks coffee shops and General Motors cars in the US.
Heins joined RIM (currently BlackBerry) in 2007 as a senior vice president of the company’s Handheld Business unit, later advancing through a series of stages in various departments until becoming President and CEO of the company. Unfortunately Heins was not able to turn the company’s fate around, stepping down from his position in November 2013 (with a severance of $22 million). His role at Powermat will be much different – he will help lead the company’s growth at a global scale. Despite leaving the company over a year ago, Heins still keeps an eye on his former employer, having his “fingers crossed” that they manage to be successful with completing the needed turnaround and moving to new domains.
Powermat Technologies was founded in 2006 by Ran Poliakine with the goal to develop and provide wireless power charging technologies to the general public. In the next few years the company managed to integrate its technology into airport seating (integration has been done at several US airports), to sign an agreement with General Motors to integrate the technology into their cars and to install Powermat charging stations in table tops in 17 Starbucks locations in the Bay Area in 2012. The technology will be rolled out in further major markets next year, with a full national coverage to arrive in Starbucks, Teavana Fine Teas and Tea Bars planned over time, and pilot projects expected to be deployed in Europe and Asia within a year.
“Thorsten possesses the rare combination of deep technological and industry expertise with true leadership ability,” Mr. Poliakine said. “Powermat is poised at an important juncture in its evolution and Thorsten will lead its expansion to take the wireless charging solutions we created into the mainstream. I look forward to working closely with Thorsten as Powermat advances toward a bright future.”