John Black serves as Chief Technology Officer at Brain Corp, bringing three decades of product development and technology leadership experience. In his role, he aligns the company’s technical vision with its business objectives, driving the development of unique and scalable robotic solutions while nurturing key OEM partnerships. His proven ability to bring innovative products to market was instrumental in commercializing the industry’s first autonomous floor scrubber and scaling Brain Corp’s global fleet of 40,000+ robots.
Prior to his appointment as CTO, John served in advancing leadership roles within the company, including VP of Engineering and SVP of Strategy. Before joining Brain Corp in 2015, he held technical leadership and engineering roles at Nilfisk, Crane Vending, and Chrysler Corporation bringing many products to market starting from a blank sheet of paper. Known for his pragmatic and business-focused approach, John is committed to fostering a culture of innovation that directly links technical execution to customer outcomes. When he’s not building robots, you can likely find him enjoying the waves, mountains, or lakes of the great outdoors with his family.
John earned his BSME from Carnegie Mellon University and a MSME from Oakland University, and serves as the Chair of the Board for the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering Corporate Affiliates Program. He is also a Certified Functional Safety Engineer (TÜV Rheinland).