Evolv Technology Appoints Chris Kutsor as Chief Financial Officer

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Evolv Technology Appoints Chris Kutsor as Chief Financial Officer

2025-04-23 20:00 Last Updated At：20:21

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2025--

Evolv Technologies Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVLV), a leading security technology company pioneering AI-based solutions designed to help create safer experiences, today announced the appointment of Mr. Chris Kutsor as Chief Financial Officer. The appointment will be effective one business day following the filing of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250423812661/en/

"We are thrilled to welcome Chris to our leadership team at this pivotal stage of our growth," said John Kedzierski, President and Chief Executive Officer of Evolv Technology. "He is a highly accomplished public company chief financial officer and a proven leader in driving financial strategy and operational excellence for high-growth technology companies, making him the ideal leader to help scale our business and enhance value for our customers and shareholders."

"I'm excited to join Evolv Technology at such a transformative time for both the Company and the security industry," said Kutsor. "Evolv’s innovative approach to weapons detection and its commitment to creating safer spaces align perfectly with my passion for advancing mission-driven technology solutions. I look forward to collaborating with the talented team – along with our customers, partners and shareholders – to build on the Company’s strong foundation and drive sustainable growth and profitability."

Kutsor, 51, brings strong financial and executive leadership across the technology sector to Evolv’s executive team. He joins Evolv after leading the sale of publicly listed Kin + Carta Plc (London Stock Exchange: KCT), a software engineering digital consultancy with 1,800 employees in seven countries, to a private equity (PE) firm in 2024. Kutsor served as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Kin + Carta. He subsequently helped lead the merger and integration of Kin + Carta with another portfolio company of the PE acquiror.

About Chris Kutsor

From 2019 through May 2024, Kutsor was Chief Financial Officer of Kin + Carta. He was also appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2022. While at Kin + Carta, Kutsor helped lead the transformation of twelve independent consultancies into an integrated, global technology consulting enterprise. He built a global finance and operations team, implementing enterprise-grade processes and systems and delivered a 3-year Total Shareholder Return (TSR) of 86%, ranking 17th out of 562 companies in the FTSE All-Share Index from 2019-2022*.

Before joining Kin + Carta, Kutsor spent nearly 25 years at Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) in various senior finance roles. His most senior positions included leading investor relations, financial management of a $2 billion global business unit, supporting strategic sales teams, and managing venture capital investments.

Mr. Kutsor earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in both Strategy and Finance and holds a Bachelor of Science in Corporate Finance and Investments from the University of Illinois.

About Evolv Technology

Evolv Technologies Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVLV) is designed to transform human security using artificial intelligence (AI)-powered screening and analytics to help create safer experiences for the world’s most iconic venues and companies as well as schools, hospitals, and public spaces. Its mission is to transform security to create a safer world to live, work, learn, and play. Evolv has digitally transformed the gateways in many places where people gather by enabling seamless integration combined with powerful analytics and insights. Evolv’s advanced weapons detection systems have scanned more than two billion people since 2019. Evolv has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) SAFETY Act Designation as a Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology (QATT), included in the TSA Surface Transportation Security Technology Catalogue and awarded the Security Industry Association (SIA) 2024 New Products and Solutions (NPS) Award in the Law Enforcement/Public Safety/Guarding Systems category as well as Sport Business Journal’s (SBJ) 2024 awards for “Best In Fan Experience Technology” and “Best In Sports Technology”. Evolv has also been recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work” by Built In Boston. Evolv®, Evolv Express®, Evolv Insights®, Evolv Visual Gun Detection™, Evolv eXpedite™, and Evolv Eva™ are registered trademarks or trademarks of Evolv Technologies Holdings, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions. For more information, visit evolv.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend for such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including statements made in the quotes from directors and statements regarding the Company’s execution of its strategy, financial and operational performance and growth and creating value for stakeholders. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results and actions to be materially different from any future results or actions expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC on February 29, 2024, as any such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the SEC, including the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, as well as risks related to our leadership transition. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to us as of the date hereof, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, it may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.

*See KCT annual report 2022; measured against Fiscal Year period August 1, 2019 – July 31, 2022

Buddhist monks and their dog captivate Americans while walking for peace

A group of Buddhist monks and their rescue dog are striding single file down country roads and highways across the South, captivating Americans nationwide and inspiring droves of locals to greet them along their route.

In their flowing saffron and ocher robes, the men are walking for peace. It's a meditative tradition more common in South Asian countries, and it's resonating now in the U.S., seemingly as a welcome respite from the conflict, trauma and politics dividing the nation.

Their journey began Oct. 26, 2025, at a Vietnamese Buddhist temple in Texas, and is scheduled to end in mid-February in Washington, D.C., where they will ask Congress to recognize Buddha’s day of birth and enlightenment as a federal holiday. Beyond promoting peace, their highest priority is connecting with people along the way.

“My hope is, when this walk ends, the people we met will continue practicing mindfulness and find peace,” said the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, the group’s soft-spoken leader who is making the trek barefoot. He teaches about mindfulness, forgiveness and healing at every stop.

Preferring to sleep each night in tents pitched outdoors, the monks have been surprised to see their message transcend ideologies, drawing huge crowds into churchyards, city halls and town squares across six states. Documenting their journey on social media, they — and their dog, Aloka — have racked up millions of followers online. On Saturday, thousands thronged in Columbia, South Carolina, where the monks chanted on the steps of the State House and received a proclamation from the city's mayor, Daniel Rickenmann.

At their stop Thursday in Saluda, South Carolina, Audrie Pearce joined the crowd lining Main Street. She had driven four hours from her village of Little River, and teared up as Pannakara handed her a flower.

“There’s something traumatic and heart-wrenching happening in our country every day,” said Pearce, who describes herself as spiritual, but not religious. “I looked into their eyes and I saw peace. They’re putting their bodies through such physical torture and yet they radiate peace.”

Hailing from Theravada Buddhist monasteries across the globe, the 19 monks began their 2,300 mile (3,700 kilometer) trek at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth.

Their journey has not been without peril. On Nov. 19, as the monks were walking along U.S. Highway 90 near Dayton, Texas, their escort vehicle was hit by a distracted truck driver, injuring two monks. One of them lost his leg, reducing the group to 18.

This is Pannakara's first trek in the U.S., but he's walked across several South Asian countries, including a 112-day journey across India in 2022 where he first encountered Aloka, an Indian Pariah dog whose name means divine light in Sanskrit.

Then a stray, the dog followed him and other monks from Kolkata in eastern India all the way to the Nepal border. At one point, he fell critically ill and Pannakara scooped him up in his arms and cared for him until he recovered. Now, Aloka inspires him to keep going when he feels like giving up.

“I named him light because I want him to find the light of wisdom,” Pannakara said.

The monk's feet are now heavily bandaged because he's stepped on rocks, nails and glass along the way. His practice of mindfulness keeps him joyful despite the pain from these injuries, he said.

Still, traversing the southeast United States has presented unique challenges, and pounding pavement day after day has been brutal.

“In India, we can do shortcuts through paddy fields and farms, but we can’t do that here because there are a lot of private properties,” Pannakara said. “But what’s made it beautiful is how people have welcomed and hosted us in spite of not knowing who we are and what we believe.”

In Opelika, Alabama, the Rev. Patrick Hitchman-Craig hosted the monks on Christmas night at his United Methodist congregation.

He expected to see a small crowd, but about 1,000 people showed up, creating the feel of a block party. The monks seemed like the Magi, he said, appearing on Christ’s birthday.

“Anyone who is working for peace in the world in a way that is public and sacrificial is standing close to the heart of Jesus, whether or not they share our tradition,” said Hitchman-Craig. “I was blown away by the number of people and the diversity of who showed up.”

After their night on the church lawn, the monks arrived the next afternoon at the Collins Farm in Cusseta, Alabama. Judy Collins Allen, whose father and brother run the farm, said about 200 people came to meet the monks — the biggest gathering she’s ever witnessed there.

“There was a calm, warmth and sense of community among people who had not met each other before and that was so special,” she said.

Long Si Dong, a spokesperson for the Fort Worth temple, said the monks, when they arrive in Washington, plan to seek recognition of Vesak, the day which marks the birth and enlightenment of the Buddha, as a national holiday.

“Doing so would acknowledge Vesak as a day of reflection, compassion and unity for all people regardless of faith,” he said.

But Pannakara emphasized that their main goal is to help people achieve peace in their lives. The trek is also a separate endeavor from a $200 million campaign to build towering monuments on the temple’s 14-acre property to house the Buddha’s teachings engraved in stone, according to Dong.

The monks practice and teach Vipassana meditation, an ancient Indian technique taught by the Buddha himself as core for attaining enlightenment. It focuses on the mind-body connection — observing breath and physical sensations to understand reality, impermanence and suffering. Some of the monks, including Pannakara, walk barefoot to feel the ground directly and be present in the moment.

Pannakara has told the gathered crowds that they don't aim to convert people to Buddhism.

Brooke Schedneck, professor of religion at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, said the tradition of a peace walk in Theravada Buddhism began in the 1990s when the Venerable Maha Ghosananda, a Cambodian monk, led marches across war-torn areas riddled with landmines to foster national healing after civil war and genocide in his country.

“These walks really inspire people and inspire faith,” Schedneck said. “The core intention is to have others watch and be inspired, not so much through words, but through how they are willing to make this sacrifice by walking and being visible.”

On Thursday, Becki Gable drove nearly 400 miles (about 640 kilometers) from Cullman, Alabama, to catch up with them in Saluda. Raised Methodist, Gable said she wanted some release from the pain of losing her daughter and parents.

“I just felt in my heart that this would help me have peace,” she said. “Maybe I could move a little bit forward in my life.”

Gable says she has already taken one of Pannakara’s teachings to heart. She’s promised herself that each morning, as soon as she awakes, she’d take a piece of paper and write five words on it, just as the monk prescribed.

“Today is my peaceful day.”

Freelance photojournalist Allison Joyce contributed to this report.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.