Denholm was only recently appointed CFO and Head Of Strategy at Telstra, a role she took on top of her board position with Tesla, which she has held since 2014. She’ll complete her six month notice period before moving over to Tesla
Tesla said its founder Elon Musk will be a “resource’ to Denholm to provide any support she requests in her role as Chair.
“Robyn has extensive experience in both the tech and auto industries, and she has made significant contributions as a Tesla Board member over the past four years in helping us become a profitable company,” he said. “I look forward to working even more closely with Robyn as we continue accelerating the advent of sustainable energy.”
Denholm has extensive global experience, including across Telstra, Toyota, Sun Microsystems and Juniper Networks — which on the latter she is largely credited with leading a team that drove significant increases in revenue.
“I believe in this company, I believe in its mission and I look forward to helping Elon and the Tesla team achieve sustainable profitability and drive long-term shareholder value.”
Denholm studied a Masters of Commerce and the University of New South Wales and a Bachelor of Economics at the University of Sydney.
The New York Times reports that the appointment come following regulatory pressure on Telsa to split chair and CEO responsibilities from Musk.
Announcing Robyn Denholm as Tesla’s New Board Chair https://t.co/emWyb7rUx8
— Tesla (@Tesla) November 8, 2018