Corporate Governance

Eqbal Al Yousuf, Chairman of the Board

Mr. Eqbal Al Yousef has two Bachelors Degrees; one in Computer Science and the other in Economics. He graduated from the University of Minnesota, U.S.A. in May 1983. Previously, Eqbal joined his father’s firm as Managing Director and in 1988 he was appointed as Deputy Chairman, in 2001 as Vice Chairman, and in 2004 as Chief Executive Officer. In 2005, Eqbal was appointed as the President of Al Yousuf Group; a company that for more than 55 years has been growing into a multi-million Dirham conglomerate, spanning operations from Motor Vehicles to Real Estate Development, Computer Operating Systems to Electronics manufacturing. The group is now becoming an ISO certified company, and keeps rigourous international quality standards. Despite being at the helm of a huge business empire, Eqbal keeps punctual office hours and keenly follows the daily operations of every department, division and branch of the company. As a direct result of his leadership, the company continues to constantly achieve high levels of success and tremendous growth. Eqbal is married and has four children, and maintains an intrest in reading, travel and sea sports. He is actively involved with numerous social and environmental causes – both at a personal and business level.

Steven Schneider, Chief Executive Officer, Director

With such a flair for adventure, innovation and independence, it's no surprise that Steve Schneider is the CEO for what may be the most daring automotive venture in history. But his road to becoming the top electric car executive, setting up auto dealerships for ZAP, is unique to say the least. As a child, he learned a valuable lesson from his parents, who moved the family from Manhattan to the remote island of Roatan off the coast of South America. The island had no electricity or running water and his parents introduced the first motorized vehicles to the island. At age 17, back in the USA he got his first job at as a detailer at an auto dealership. At age 18, he went into sales at the same dealership and become a top seller in the nation. Later he worked at various auto dealerships and eventually went on to manage a Honda Dealership in Santa Rosa, California. It was there that that he learned a pivotal lesson from the owner, who happened to have been the first motorcycle dealer in the nation to carry Honda cars. We all know how successful Honda has been, but Schneider was just getting started. He went on to eventually owning and operating a dealership with much success. After exploring the marketing and distribution of electric cars for several years, he learned about ZAP and was recruited to take the helm as CEO in 2002. Since that time he has taken ZAP to a whole new level.

Amos Kazzaz, Cheif Operations Officer, Chairperson

From 1995 to 1999, Kazzaz served as President of United Airlines Shuttle Division, overseeing the P&L for the business unit, which grew to $1 Billion in revenues and 57 B737s. The division won the Advertising Effy Award in 1995 and 1998 for innovative marketing. Prior to joining ZAP, Kazzaz served as Vice President, Cost Management for United Airlines. Reporting directly to the COO, Kazzaz was the leader of United's strategy to improve operations, processes and cost management throughout the organization. Prior to that, Kazzaz served as Vice President, Financial Planning and Analysis for United. Before 2004, Kazzaz was Vice President for FP&A Real Estate, United's first enterprise project management office with a focus on real estate management. He also served as Vice President, Corporate Real Estate for United Airlines global real estate portfolio that included $1 billion in annual revenue. Kazzaz serves on the Supervisory Board of Directors for the Alliant Credit Union. He holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Denver and a B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

William Hartman, Cheif Financial Officer, Chairperson

Mr. Hartman was appointed Chief Financial Officer in March 2001. He was engaged with the Company as a financial consultant starting in January 2001. Prior to his engagement at ZAP, Mr. Hartman provided financial and accounting consulting services to various Internet start up companies in the San Francisco Bay Area from 1999 to 2001. Mr. Hartman is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of California with a Masters in Accounting Degree from the State University of New York. He was also a previous Audit Manager with Price Waterhouse-Coopers Accounting Firm.