Executive Team
Mani Iyer, Chief Executive Officer
Mani is a 28-year veteran of the agricultural and construction industries, specializes in the farm tractor category, and has served a wide variety of leadership positions in North America, South America, and Asia. Iyer’s expertise includes international equipment sales and marketing, business strategy and development, channel development, supply chain management, product support and service, manufacturing, and quality assurance.
Steve Heckeroth, Chief Innovation Officer and Chairman of the Board
Steve is an expert in designing, fabricating and building electric tractors and vehicles. His experience spans over 40 years in the renewable energy industry. He worked as the Director of Building Integrated Photovoltaics for the largest thin-film solar manufacturer in the world, designing PV roofing products from ’99 – ‘08. He contributed to several patents in the PV space. Steve founded MendoMotive and Electrac in 1993 to develop and build EVs and electric tractors. He founded Solectrac LLC in 2012 to take electric tractors into commercial production. He was the Principal Investigator in two grants completed in 2016 that moved the electric tractor closer to a commercially viable product. Steve converted the LLC to a California Benefit Corporation and Certified B-Corp in 2019. He holds several patents on electric tractor innovations.
Hariharan Viswanathan, Senior Vice President of Product & Operations
Hariharan is a veteran of the agricultural industry specializing in product and technology development and vehicle electrification. Viswanathan’s expertise includes the successful development and launch of off-road vehicles, research and development (R&D) efficiency, building international teams, and managing R&D centers.
Christiane Heckeroth, Director of Communications
Dr. Christiane Heckeroth, PT, DPT, is the Director of Communications for Solectrac, Inc, America’s first manufacturer of zero-emissions 100% battery powered electric tractors for farm, vineyard, and utility use. As a clinician, she is committed to creating a healthier future by increasing awareness of climate smart technologies and practices. Prior to joining Solectrac, Heckeroth spent more than 20 years in the field of environmental sustainability, managing publicity and communications for a solar design firm, authoring articles and editorials and working with community organizations.
A practicing clinician, Heckeroth earned her doctorate in physical therapy with honors from California State University Sacramento.