Tesla appoints India-origin Vaibhav Taneja as its CFO
1 min read 07 Aug 2023, 08:32 PM ISTVaibhav Taneja, who is currently serving as the Chief Accounting Officer at Tesla will take the CFO position as an additional responsibility
PremiumAmerican automobile major Tesla appointed Indian-origin Vaibhav Taneja as its Chief Financial Officer. Vaibhav Taneja, who is currently serving as the Chief Accounting Officer will take the CFO position as an additional responsibility. He will replace Zachary Kirkhorn who completes his 13-year stint with Tesla.
The Elon Musk-led company didn't specify the reason for the change, but Kirkhorn is expected to remain in his position till the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition. "Being a part of this company is a special experience and I'm extremely proud of the work we've done together since I joined over 13 years ago," Kirkhorn said in a LinkedIn post.
Delhi University to Tesla CFO
Vaibhav Taneja (45) is a commerce graduate from the University of Delhi and became a part of Tesla's team following the company's acquisition of SolarCity in 2016. Alongside his primary responsibility as chief accounting officer, he assumed the significant role of "Master of Coin" within the organization, the company said.
In January 2021, Vaibhav Taneja was also appointed as the director for Tesla's Indian arm, Tesla India Motors and Energy Private Limited. As per a Moneycontrol report, Vaibhav has an experience of more than 20 years in accounting. He has worked with various multinational companies in technology, finance, retail, and telecommunications.
The appointment comes at a time when Tesla is aiming to boost its sales and capture more market share. The auto major even reduced the prices of its cars following that aim which squeezed its industry-leading margins, as per a report by news agency Reuters.
Interestingly, the outgoing CFO Zachary Kirkhorn was once considered the successor of Elon Musk when the investors expressed concerns over the succession plan in Tesla. With Tesla, Elon Musk currently heads SpaceX, Neuralink, and the Boring Company. He also serves as the Chief Technology Officer of X (earlier known as Twitter).
