Rivian has announced Sreela Venkataratnam as its new Chief Accounting Officer. Venkataratnam will oversee the company’s financial reporting, tax and trade, internal controls and compliance, finance transformation management and manufacturing controllership.
Venkataratnam is a Tesla veteran, having worked there for more than 10 years. She was most recently the VP of Finance and Business Operations, contributing to the automaker’s global operation expansion and efficiency drive. She left the company in August 2024, saying that working for Tesla is “definitely not for the fault of heart.”
Venkataratnam started her career at Ernst & Young in Canada before joining Kleiner Perkins, Intuitive Surgical Inc., and Mercury Interactive Corp. She brings over 25 years of experience to her new role at Rivian.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Rivian and look forward to helping build on its strong financial foundation and scale the organization. Having just achieved positive gross profit in the fourth quarter, and with the R2 launch on the horizon, it’s an incredibly exciting time to be joining the company on this adventure and supporting its mission,” she said.
Venkataratnam is joining Rivian at a pivotal moment in the company’s history. The company reported gross profit for the first time in the last quarter of 2024. However, it has forecast lower deliveries in 2025. Adding to its woes is the uncertainty now surrounding its $6 billion credit for financing its Georgia plant following the current administration’s move to freeze loans.
