CN, Wabtec appoint new chief technology officers

Malenfant has 35 years of experience, serving most recently as senior vice president of engineering and CTO at Wabtec. At Wabtec, he was focused on developing technologies related to the positive train control and the next generation of precision scheduled railroading, all of which were activities that “spearheaded a major digital industrial evolution in rail,” CN said. 

With Malenfant’s departure, Wabtec announced Wednesday that Eric Gebhardt would take up the role as its new CTO and executive vice president.

Gebhardt, who will assume the position on Sept. 14, will lead Wabtec’s global technology and investment strategy, new product development and global engineering organization, Wabtec said.

“Eric is a powerhouse technology leader and key architect in developing cutting-edge solutions in power generation, transmission, distribution and utilization,” said Wabtec CEO Rafael Santana. “His deep knowledge across the energy sector, extensive track record of building high-performing product development and delivery teams and experience designing product portfolios and digital solutions that minimize energy consumption, improve fuel efficiency and expand the use of alternative fuels will be key to meeting customer demand for cleaner, more energy-efficient transport and integral to Wabtec’s continued growth.”

Gebhardt, who also has more than 30 years of experience, has expertise in developing technology solutions in power generation, battery storage, renewables and distributed power. He is a former managing director of KCK-US, an investment firm focused on the energy, life science and industrial sectors, and he served at General Electric for nearly 30 years. He was the CTO of GE Power, chief product management officer for Energy Connections, chief platforms and operations officers for Current and CTO for GE Oil & Gas. 

“This is an exciting time to be joining Wabtec,” Gebhardt said. “The company’s core technology is proven beyond dispute and we have an opportunity to leverage Wabtec’s scale and breakthrough technologies in energy management, digital and advanced automation to expand innovation across the technology stack. I look forward to combining the team’s incredible capabilities and knowledge with my experiences to further shape the future of transportation.”

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