Rick Arnold. Courtesy photo.

Quanergy Systems Inc. has hired a new general counsel, the Sunnyvale, California-based company announced Monday.

Rick Arnold joined this month as GC, one of many executives, including a new chief financial officer and vice president of software engineering, hired by the LiDAR-producing company recently. Arnold will be Quanergy's first general counsel.

In the past year, the company has been busy— announcing partnerships with the likes of Jaguar and Cisco and the launch of its Qortex perception software, which uses LiDAR pulsating laser sensors to detect nearby objects and interpret what and where they are. LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is often used in autonomous vehicles.

The company also recently opened a new manufacturing facility in Sunnyvale.

“Quanergy's world-class technology and passion for innovation has driven their success and this is a company with an exciting future,” Arnold said in a statement. “Working in Silicon Valley for two decades, I am well aware of the necessary ingredients for a successful company, and I'm convinced Quanergy will continue to grow and evolve.”

Arnold was most recently general counsel and secretary at IoT solutions company Silver Spring Networks where he led a team of seven attorneys. He left the position after guiding the company through its merger with Itron Inc. Before that, he spent more than 10 years at Hewlett-Packard Co. as vice president and associate general counsel, mergers and acquisitions.

He's also spent time outside of the in-house counsel role, working previously as an attorney at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and the now defunct firm Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison.

Arnold began his career as an engineer, according to his LinkedIn, serving as an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He earned both an MBA and a JD from Duke University. He was not immediately available for comment.

“Rick's deep experience in the tech industry will be an invaluable asset to Quanergy as our business continues to mature,” said Dr. Louay Eldada, CEO of Quanergy, in a statement. “The coming years will be immensely important for LiDAR and Quanergy alike, and Rick will play an instrumental role in the strategic execution of our goals.”