Huntington Beach, Calif. – October 20, 2026 -- Mach Industries, a defense manufacturer developing autonomous systems for the U.S. military and its allies, has appointed Zach Kirkman, previously Deputy Chief Financial Officer at General Motors, as its Chief Financial Officer.
Kirkman to lead financial strategy and capital markets activity as Mach scales production
Kirkman will run the company's financial strategy, capital markets activities and finance organization. Mach says it is scaling production, expanding its capital base and advancing its portfolio of unmanned systems and critical defense components.
He brings nearly two decades of experience in financial leadership, capital allocation, corporate strategy, and mergers and acquisitions across the technology and automotive sectors.
Kirkman oversaw Treasury, Corporate Development and GM Ventures at General Motors
At GM, Kirkman reported directly to the CFO. He oversaw Treasury, Corporate Development, GM Ventures, and Long-Term Financial Planning and Analysis.
Earlier, he helped establish and lead the Corporate Development function at Tesla. He began his career at Apple, where he held several finance roles, including in Corporate Development.
Kirkman also served on the Board of Directors of Lithium Americas Corp., a publicly traded lithium extraction and processing developer. He holds an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
CEO Thornton cites capital allocation and disciplined investment as hiring rationale
Mach Founder and CEO Ethan Thornton said Kirkman's capital allocation and corporate strategy expertise will help the company strengthen its financial foundation and make disciplined investments. Thornton also pointed to Kirkman's experience with high-growth, integrated hardware/software businesses.
Kirkman said Mach is addressing the challenge of building the industrial capacity to deliver advanced defense capabilities at scale. He described the role as building "the financial engine" to accelerate production and expand capabilities.
Mach produces jet engines, solid rocket motors and energetic systems through its Mach Propulsion and Mach Energetics units. It sells these to external customers as a component and subsystem provider for booster, sustainer and unmanned aerial platforms.