Raghu Kumar, Pmp®
About Raghu Kumar, Pmp®
Raghu Kumar is the Lead for Safety, Compliance, and Regulation at Nikola Motor Company, with extensive experience in engineering and compliance roles across multiple organizations.
Title
Raghu Kumar is currently serving as the Lead of Safety, Compliance, and Regulation at Nikola Motor Company. He has held this position since 2022 and is based in Phoenix, Arizona, United States.
Current Position at Nikola Motor Company
At Nikola Motor Company, Raghu Kumar leads efforts in safety, compliance, and regulation. His role encompasses the oversight of regulatory compliance across various standards and protocols, specifically focusing on vehicle-level cybersecurity and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) for next-generation Class 8 trucks. He also manages and prioritizes technical work proposals and research activities critical to the development of these trucks.
Previous Experience at Cummins Inc.
Before joining Nikola Motor Company, Raghu Kumar held several key positions at Cummins Inc. From 2021 to 2022, he worked as the Codes and Standards Compliance Leader. Between 2017 and 2021, he held the role of Technical Specialist - Product Certification & Compliance. During his early years at Cummins (2005-2010), he worked as a Design Engineer in the Pune Area, India.
Project Management Roles
Raghu Kumar has also served in various project management capacities. He was a Project Manager at TAAL Tech from 2016 to 2017 in the Greater Chicago Area. Prior to that, he worked as a Project Manager at Creative Synergies Group LLC from 2012 to 2016 in Houston, Texas.
Education and Technical Expertise
Raghu Kumar's educational background is rooted in mechanical engineering. He holds an Executive Master's in Engineering Management from St. Cloud State University, a Master's Degree in Machine Design from CMR Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Sri Tontadarya College of Engineering, GADAG, and a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from Nadgir Polytechnic, Bangalore.
Technical Contributions and Compliance Management
Throughout his career, Raghu Kumar has contributed to the development of technical standards for vehicle-level cybersecurity, ADAS, and compliance with various international regulatory requirements. He has worked with organizations such as CSA, SAE, UL, and ISO, and has overseen quality assurance documentation and audits for ISO activities.