Randall R. Kirk, Senior Vice President, Product Engineering & Planning of Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc. has announced his retirement effective August 6, 2021. “Randy has been instrumental in leading innovation in many areas of our business for 45 years,” said David S. Graziosi, Chairman and CEO of Allison Transmission. “His commitment and continuous pursuit to improve our products and processes has been central to delivering the Allison Brand Promise.”
Kirk is retiring after 45 years of service to General Motors Co. and subsequently Allison. He began his career as a General Motors Institute co-op student. Upon graduation from GMI, he served in a number of roles in the Operations and Quality organizations where he led Allison to its first International Standards Organizationand Quality System quality certifications. Kirk then assumed the responsibilities of Product Team Leader for several product lines and in 2001 led the Global Customer Support organization. In 2007 Kirk assumed a new role of Executive Director of the Transition Program Manager Office, leading a cross-functional team with responsibilities for the separation from General Motors. Following completion of the divestiture, he was appointed Vice President, Product Engineering, later assuming additional responsibility for program management and product planning.
“Randy has guided the acceleration of our technology innovation and New Product Development initiatives to unprecedented levels,” said Graziosi. “His leadership has generated a robust product portfolio across the On-Highway, Off-Highway, and Defense end-markets, including electrified propulsion solutions.”
Kirk also championed investments in two significant technology facilities in order to accelerate product development. In 2020 a state-of-the-art Vehicle Environment Test center was launched providing comprehensive bespoke capability for commercial vehicle testing in a variety of environmental, road, and duty cycle simulation conditions. The Allison Innovation Center is nearing completion and is expected to open in early 2022 to allow consolidation of Allison’s product engineering groups and facilitate internal and external collaboration for technology and product co-development.
“Randy has been dedicated to the success of Allison Transmission,” said Graziosi. “He has positioned the organization for continued future success. I wish Randy and his family all the best in his well-earned retirement.”