Tesla has announced it has a new Senior Vice President of Automotive. In a regulatory filing on Thursday it was revealed that Tom Zhu assumed the role this month, his second promotion in almost as many months.
Tesla’s filing reveals that Zhu joined the company in 2014 and worked in different operational positions before being appointed as the Vice President of Greater China. In this role, he was responsible for leading the construction and operations of Gigafactory Shanghai, a factory which has become the company’s export hub and one of the most productive automotive factories in the world.
Late last year, as Tesla’s China production ramped up further, the 43-year-old executive was transferred to Austin to assist with the ramp of Giga Texas. He was also promoted and became responsible for Tesla’s North American factories and the company’s sales, service, and delivery operations in both North America and Europe.
Not long after he came to North America rumours began to circulate that he was soon going to take on an even bigger role, with one report even suggesting he was going to replace CEO Elon Musk. While he hasn’t climbed that high up the ladder, Zhu is now one of the top executives at the electric vehicle giant, alongside Musk, CFO Zachary Kirkhorn, and Andrew Baglino, who is the SVP of Powertrain and Energy Engineering.
Zhu most recent public appearance came at Investor Day last month, where he took to the stage alongside Baglino to talk about what else, but manufacturing. You can watch his part of the presentation below.
