Tesla Org chart
This Tesla org chart highlights the company’s organizational structure and leadership team, including key executives such as Elon Musk (CEO & Technoking) , Stuart Saunders (Chief Engineer) , and Saedah Salhia (Senior Leader, North America Sales & Delivery Operations) . It provides a clear overview of the leadership team’s roles and how they work together to achieve organizational goals and ensure effective management across all functions.
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Tesla Leadership Team
Executives
Profile Summary
Elon Musk
CEO & Technoking
Elon oversees the company's product strategy -- including the design, engineering and manufacturing of electric vehicles and battery products for consumers. He helped design the ground-breaking Tesla Roadster, for which he won an Index and a Global Green award. In October 2008, he took on the additional responsibility of overseeing daily operations as the company was ramping up Roadster production and accelerating the development of its second vehicle, Model S.
Stuart Saunders
Chief Engineer
Stuart Saunders is an experienced automotive professional currently serving as Chief Engineer at Tesla since November 2020. Prior to this role, Stuart held various positions in vehicle dynamics, including Technical Specialist at Continental and Nexen Tire North America, and served as Technical Specialist/Manager at Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre. Experience also includes working at Ford Motor Company and Stewart Racing, specializing in vehicle dynamics. Early career experience involved chassis development at Rover Group. Stuart holds an Engineering Doctorate (EngD) and a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) from Cranfield University, completed in 1997 and 1992, respectively. Additionally, Stuart is certified as an Aston Martin performance driving course instructor.
Previous or Current Companies (Board, Advisor, Employer)
Saedah Salhia
Senior Leader, North America Sales & Delivery Operations
Saedah Salhia is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in sales and operations management within the retail industry. Currently serving as a Senior Leader in North America Sales & Delivery Operations at Tesla since September 2021, Saedah has previously held various leadership roles at Tesla, including Territory Leader and Regional Leader. Prior to Tesla, Saedah served as Regional Director at GUESS?, Inc., where responsibilities included managing operations, sales, and profitability for Guess & Marciano stores across the USA and the East Coast. Saedah's career also includes roles as Senior Commercial Manager and HR Operations Multi-Unit Manager at GUESS?, as well as District Manager positions at both GUESS? and Big M Inc. Saedah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Rutgers University - Newark.
Previous or Current Companies (Board, Advisor, Employer)
GUESS
Tom Zhu
Head of Greater China & Senior Executive, Sales Operations - US, Europe
Sendil Palani
Vice President, Finance
Sendil Palani is a seasoned finance professional with extensive experience in the automotive and technology sectors. Currently serving as Vice President of Finance at Tesla since May 2014, Sendil Palani has held various finance leadership roles, focusing on Engineering Finance, Manufacturing Finance, and Corporate Planning. Previous positions at Tesla include Director of Engineering Finance and Senior Finance Manager, where critical contributions were made to product development, Autopilot technology, and manufacturing projects. Prior to Tesla, Sendil Palani was an Associate at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a Product Manager intern at Google, and a Summer Associate at GE. Early career experience includes business analysis at McKinsey & Company and finance roles at Tesla Motors. Sendil Palani holds a Master's Degree in Environment and Resources and an MBA from Stanford University, as well as dual Bachelor's Degrees in Electrical Engineering and Finance from the University of Pennsylvania and The Wharton School.
Previous or Current Companies (Board, Advisor, Employer)
Google
General Electric
McKinsey & Company
Karn Budhiraj
VP, Supply Chain
Karn Budhiraj is the Vice President of Global Supply Management at Telsa. Karn has broad leadership responsibility including Purchasing, Supplier Manufacturing Engineering, Plant Operations and Program Management. In his previous role at Tesla as Director, Powertrain, Electronics and Programs he led the Global Supply Management organization for Autopilot, Infotainment, Power Electronics and PCBAs. Also responsible for Supply Chain Program Management (Model S, Model X, Autopilot and Model 3) and Supplier Manufacturing Engineering in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Karn has also spent time at Apple and Exxon in procurement roles, and prior to that he was a consultant at Deloitte.
Previous or Current Companies (Board, Advisor, Employer)
Lars Moravy
VP, Vehicle Engineering
Head engineer and technical lead for team of 1000+ engineers, technicians, and analysts in charge of all Tesla vehicle hardware design vehicle (body, interiors, exteriors, lighting, chassis, battery structures, thermal, etc), test and validation, development, launch, automation, manufacturing and sustaining, test and validation as well as all supporting PLM and engineering tools. In charge of development of new systems in a growing company to ensure quality, reliability, performance, and repeatability. Projects include Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, Roadster and Semi-truck
David Lau
VP, Software Engineering
David Lau has a wealth of experience in software engineering, firmware development, and system integration. David has held various leadership positions at companies like Tesla and Altera, where David has managed teams working on cutting-edge technologies. David graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
Laurie Shelby
VP, Environmental, Health & Safety
Laurie Shelby, CIH, CSP has extensive experience in driving Environmental, Health, Safety, and Security performance across various industries. Starting at Dominion Virginia Power as an Industrial Hygienist, Laurie has progressed to roles such as Vice President EHS&S at Tesla and Vice President EHS Global Primary Products at Alcoa. Laurie has also served as an EHS Director and EHS audit manager in their career. With a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Radford University and a Master's degree in Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Laurie brings a strong educational background to their roles.
Previous or Current Companies (Board, Advisor, Employer)
Alcoa
Pete Bannon
VP, Low Voltage & Silicon Engineering
Bannon is currently vice president of Low Voltage and Silicon Engineering at Tesla. He leads the team that created the Full Self-driving Computer that is currently shipping in Tesla vehicles. Prior to his position at Tesla, Bannon was the lead architect on the first 32b ARM CPU used in the iPhone 5 and built the team that created the first 64b ARM processor in the iPhone 5s. He has been designing computing systems for almost four decades at Apple, Intel, PA Semi, and Digital Equipment Corporation. Bannon is a 1984 graduate of UMass Amherst, where he received a B.S. Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Previous or Current Companies (Board, Advisor, Employer)
Thorhild S.
VP Software Engineering
Thorhild S. currently serves as VP of Software Engineering at Tesla, a position held since February 2021. Prior experience includes working as a Mutual Fund Advisor at LB Forsikring from April 2017 to October 2020 and as a Barnevernkonsulent at Trondheim kommune from June 2016 to March 2017. Thorhild S. holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Københavns Universitet - University of Copenhagen.
Previous or Current Companies (Board, Advisor, Employer)
Trondheim kommune
Lothar Thommes
VP, MD - Tesla Automation
Lothar Thommes is the vice president & managing director of Tesla Automation.
Cleve Schupp
Head of Marketing & Direct Sales - APAC & EMEA
Cleve Schupp has an extensive background in marketing, customer relationship management, and energy products sales. With experience at companies like Tesla, AGL Energy, and National Australia Bank, Cleve has led various teams and initiatives to support sustainable energy transitions and customer loyalty. Cleve's educational background includes a PROSCI Accreditation in Organisational Change Management and an Advanced Diploma in Business Management from Federation University Australia.
Previous or Current Companies (Board, Advisor, Employer)
AGL
Brandon Ehrhart
General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
Brandon Ehrhart has over 20 years of work experience. Brandon is currently the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Tesla, where they started in 2023. Prior to this, Ehrhart worked at DISH Network in various roles, including General Counsel of DISH Wireless and Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary. Brandon joined DISH Network in 2003 and held positions of increasing responsibility until their departure in 2023. Before joining DISH Network, Ehrhart worked at EchoStar Corporation as Vice President, Associate General Counsel & Assistant Secretary, and also at DLA Piper as an Associate in the Corporate & Securities group. Brandon Ehrhart earned their Bachelor's degree in Economics, Public Policy Studies, and a Certificate in Markets and Management from Duke University in 1997. Brandon then attended Vanderbilt University Law School from 1997 to 2000, where they obtained their J.D. in Law.
Previous or Current Companies (Board, Advisor, Employer)
DLA Piper
EchoStar
