Tesla has nominated JB Straubel, the company’s former chief technology officer who now runs his own startup Redwood Materials, as its next independent board member.
The company said in a regulatory document on Thursday that Straubel, if elected by shareholders (which is almost a certainty) would fill the position vacated by Hiromichi Mizuno, the former chief investment officer of Japan’s $1.5 trillion pension fund. Mizuno joined the board and its audit committee in 2020 and will not be running for re-election.
Straubel, who joined Tesla in 2004 and was chief technology officer for 14 years, was largely seen as the steady, calm hand behind its controversial chief executive, Elon Musk. Straubel’s role at Tesla cannot be underestimated. The executive was responsible for some of the company’s most important technology, especially around batteries. His low-key but constant presence, coupled with his technological acumen, provided stability even as his CEO became embroiled in controversy.
During his tenure at Tesla, Straubel led the construction and concept of the Gigafactory Nevada and the production ramp of its Model 3 sedan.
Straubel left Tesla in 2019. Drew Baglino, Vice President of Technology, has assumed his duties. At the time, Tesla said that Straubel would remain in the senior advisor role.
After Straubel left the automaker, he launched scaling Redwood Materials, a supplier and recycler of battery materials that was founded in 2017. Carson City, Nevada-based Redwood Materials has raised hundreds of millions in corporate capital and risked and locked in several high-profile client deals with companies like Panasonic and Amazon.
Tesla’s shareholder meeting is scheduled for May 16.
