Agility Robotics appoints technology veteran Peggy Johnson as Chief Executive Officer for next phase of growth

Agility Robotics, creator of the bipedal Mobile Manipulation Robot (MMR) called Digit, has announced the appointment of Peggy Johnson as Chief Executive Officer.

Agility is pitched as the only humanoid robot company with a factory on a path to mass production, and Digit is the world’s only bipedal robot currently delivering productive work for customers.

It is also said to be the only deployment ready bipedal robot that is engineered to comply with OSHA’s safety standards and demonstrated to run large AI models to adapt dynamically to new tasks.

Agility’s announced partners, which presently include Amazon and GXO, a pureplay contract logistics provider, are using Digit to increase productivity and safety while saving their workforces from difficult and repetitive tasks.

“I am thrilled to be joining the finest robotics team on the planet,” says Johnson, pictured below.

“In a field cluttered with ‘demo-ware’ and hype, Agility stands apart for having resolutely, steadily, and remarkably made a human centric robot that actually works, and in demanding customer environments. Damion Shelton and his exceptional team have positioned the company for global scale and growth across industries.”

“Together, we will make Agility the world’s most trusted maker of robots that are as helpful to workers as they are beneficial to bottom lines. This is Agility’s time.”

Johnson most recently served as CEO at spatial computing company Magic Leap, where she led the pivot from consumer to enterprise, reset and recapitalised the company, and launched Magic Leap 2, an AR headset for business.

Previously, she spent six years as Executive Vice President of Business Development at Microsoft, reporting directly to CEO Satya Nadella, where she was responsible for driving strategic partnerships and transactions to accelerate growth for the company and its customers.

In her new role, Johnson will lead Agility’s next phase of growth, focusing on sales, strategic industry partnerships, future fundraising, and delivering robots at scale to meet demand.

Co-founder Damion Shelton, who has served as CEO since the company’s inception in 2015, will transition to the role of President.

“Peggy Johnson’s long track record of engineering and business success at Qualcomm and Microsoft, and her recent achievements driving change as CEO of Magic Leap, make her the perfect leader to take Agility through the transition from cutting-edge technology startup to leading global robotics company. I couldn’t be more excited to have her join us,” says Shelton.

“I also want to recognise the incredible work of our employees and our leadership team in driving Agility’s success to date. With Peggy at the helm, Agility can bring robotics to new heights.”

“Making humanoid robots that do actual work has proved challenging to the point of overwhelming for company after company, except Agility,” says Matt Ocko, Managing Partner of DCVC and a member of Agility’s Board of Directors.

“My firm has long backed the quietly outstanding team at Agility for one simple reason: they get customer ready results faster, more comprehensively, and more cost-effectively than any comparable team.”

“Their delivery to multiple customers of an always safe bipedal robot that can still simultaneously run the most sophisticated AI models in the world exemplifies this. It’s this kind of execution by Agility that attracted Peggy Johnson, one of the most seasoned and respected leaders in tech, to take the reins.”

“At Playground, we seek out inventors of groundbreaking technologies with the potential to make a huge impact in the world,” says Bruce Leak, General Partner at Playground Global and Agility Board member.

“Since we led Agility's initial funding, we have seen the company deliver on its tremendous potential. We couldn't be happier with Peggy on board to take Agility to the next level.”