3D Printing Transitions: Mohammad Ehteshami to Retire From GE Additive; Jason Oliver Steps in as CEO

GE Additive today introduced Jason Oliver as its new CEO and Vice President, in an announcement that came also with the news that Vice President and General Manager Mohammad Ehteshami will be retiring later this year. Oliver will be leading the GE Additive operations including Concept Laser, Arcam, and GeonX, reporting to GE Vice Chairman David Joyce. Ehteshami is stepping into an advisory role focusing on additive product strategy as of today.

“Please meet Jason Oliver, the new CEO of GE Additive, I will be helping the transition until my retirement later this year,” Ehteshami wrote on LinkedIn. “He is a great leader, we are luck to have found him.”

Oliver was previously the President of the Digital Printing Group at Dover Corporation; prior to that, he was Senior Vice President, Digital Printing Solutions at Heidelberger Drucksmachinen AG. He is also the co-founder of Jetrion, a digital label printer. He attended the University of Kansas and brings several years’ digital printing experience to his new position as CEO of GE Additive.

“I am thrilled to have Jason join our team,” said GE Vice Chairman David Joyce. “We held a thorough search process and I’m confident we have the right leader to further develop GE Additive and establish the business as the leader in the industry.”

Ehteshami has been with the GE corporation for more than three decades, and stepped into his position with GE Additive when the branch was opened in the autumn of 2016. He has helped guide the company as it has grown, expanding into new locations including Montreal and Munich, plus an expansion in Lichtenfels, and developing revolutionary new additive manufacturing systems. 2017 was a busy year for the young GE Additive, and it provided several glimpses of what’s to come in the future, including its new binder jetting system and the metal 3D printing Project A.T.L.A.S.

It was under Ehteshami’s leadership that GE Additive acquired Concept Laser, Arcam and GeonX, growing their combined workforces from under 450 to more than 1,100 employees, expanding production capacity threefold, and investing more than $200 million in research and development.

“What Mohammad has accomplished in one year is a business case for how to industrialize new innovative technologies utilizing GE resources across organizations and disciplines,” Joyce said.

Ehteshami had been thinking about retirement before he took his position with GE Additive, he has told us previously, but was excited to stay and work with the new company; he certainly accomplished a lot in the last year or so of his career and was an instrumental part in turning GE Additive from a brand new company until a well-respected success. As leadership passes now to Oliver, it will be fascinating as always to continue to follow the company and see what new directions it takes as it brings new technology to the additive manufacturing industry. GE Additive may be entering a new era of leadership, but it will likely continue to be one of the most dynamic and exciting companies in the industry today.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below. 

Note: This article updated from original January 10, 2018 as GE Additive released an official statement.