New HyperSport electric bike manufacturer adds executives
Launched in January of 2020, a Vancouver-based electric motorcycle manufacturer is starting Q2 with news that two new hires have been made at the executive level. To date, Damon Motors has raised $30 million in funding and over $23 million in preorders for its flagship HyperSport motorcycles. The company continues to expand with over 50 employees and will begin test rides in Canada and the U.S. later this year.
Here’s the scoop from Canada:
Damon Motors today announced the expansion of its creative team to take the company’s HyperSport motorcycle brand and design to the next level. Joining the creative team are Chief Marketing Officer & VP, Brand Doug Penman and Head of Design Michael Uhlarik. In their respective roles, Penman will define the future brand and experience of one of the world’s most exciting mobility companies, while Uhlarik’s design expertise will fulfill Damon’s vision of making the industry’s most advanced motorcycles.
“At Damon, we continue to expand and grow our team to deliver not just a revolutionary motorcycle, but a revolutionary experience for the next-generation of motorcyclists,” said Jay Giraud, founder & CEO, Damon Motors. “As pioneers in their respective fields, Doug and Michael’s purpose and creative vision are tightly aligned to fuse the functions of product design, brand & marketing. This will ultimately give riders a fully charged, inspired and deeply personal riding experience.”
Doug Penman, CMO & VP, Brand – Penman is an entrepreneur and creative with broad-ranging venture capital, marketing strategy and brand expertise developed in high-profile international ad agencies. In his career, he has launched and accelerated the momentum for some of the world’s largest technology, consumer and luxury brands including Intel, Microsoft, Volvo, Toyota Scion, Peugeot, SanDisk, QuantumScape, Dell, Coca-Cola, UBTech, and Philips. He founded the educational toy company Nukotoys, which won the Tesla Prize for tablet innovation and was a finalist for International Connected Toy of the Year. At Damon, Penman will reimagine the brand for the company’s go-to-market phase, create a new brand experience that surprises the world, further build out the creative team, and help grow the motorcycle market.
“Damon has captured the world’s attention being the first to use technology to create a deep fusion of rider and motorcycle. We have built our entire ecosystem of safety, performance and awareness around that,” said Doug Penman, CMO & VP, Brand, Damon Motors. “I look forward to creating the most exhilarating, unexpected and fierce mobility brand the motorcycle industry has ever seen.”
Michael Uhlarik, Head of Design – An international award-winning motorcycle designer and product planner, Uhlarik has worked for world-renowned brands including Yamaha, Piaggio, Aprilia, BRP, and more. He created the market-leading Yamaha TZR-50 and the award-winning Yamaha MT-03 and collaborated and contributed on several other motorcycles including the Aprilia Dorsoduro, SportCity and M1 MotoGP bike. At Damon, Uhlarik will establish the company’s design vision and create a visual vocabulary for Damon products, build a world-class design team attracting the best two-wheel designers from around the globe and empower their creativity, and use the power of design as a value-multiplier for Damon end users as well as shareholders.
“Damon continues to redefine the limits of modern motorcycling,” said Michael Uhlarik, head of design, Damon Motors. “I’m excited to design the Damon motorcycles of the future and push those boundaries even further to cement the company’s legacy as the leading innovator in two-wheel safety, technology and performance.”
— Dave McMahon, editor, dmcmahon at powersportsbusiness.com
