LIFT Hires Executive to Lead Business Development Efforts

DETROIT (August 1, 2019) — LIFT – Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow, a national manufacturing innovation institute operated by the American Lightweight Materials Innovation Institute (ALMMII), today announced that is has hired Kevin Kerrigan to lead the institute’s business development efforts.

Kerrigan joins LIFT as Vice President of Business Development, after more than five years at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation where he served as Senior Vice President, Automotive Office and Senior Automotive Adviser to the State of Michigan.

Kerrigan has 40 years of executive experience in the global automotive sector, encompassing both technical and executive management in North America, Europe and Asia. He led his own automotive design and engineering company for 20 years, and has worked at an executive level for Tier 1 automotive suppliers. He brings to LIFT a proven track record of developing and growing companies within the automotive industry.

“We are pleased to have Kevin join our team at LIFT where he can continue the outstanding work he was doing at the State of Michigan,” said Nigel Francis, Chief Executive Officer, LIFT. “His deep knowledge of the auto industry and manufacturing around the globe will add to our expanding work supporting the Department of Defense and other industries across the country.”

“I have watched and supported LIFT from the state level, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join the team on the ground and support its momentum as the institute continues to grow,” Kerrigan said. “LIFT has had a tremendous amount of success over its first five years, and I am looking forward to bringing my experience to help the team deliver even more successes for the state and the nation.”
Kerrigan will work out of the LIFT facility in Detroit and report to Francis.

Prior positions Kerrigan has held include: President of Eurotech Design, Inc., a Michigan-based full-service engineering organization; President of Adaptive Systems, a turnkey robotic integration company; Chief Engineer at Tata Technologies; and Principal Engineer for International Automotive Components, based at their Advanced Development Center in Troy, Michigan.

Born and educated in the United Kingdom, Kerrigan completed a full-indentured British Mechanical Engineering Apprenticeship, and has lived and worked in the U.S. since 1983. He is married with two children and currently resides in Fenton, Michigan.