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Robyn Dehholm's first task was to supply petrol to Milperra cars in New South Wales (Australia) at a petrol station owned by their parents.
This week, she was appointed Tesla Board Chair in place of Elon Musk, the company said in a statement.
This 55-year-old accountant is not a newcomer to this company that specializes in the manufacture of high-end electric cars.
Since 2014, he was part of the board of directors of the company and had among its members the highest paid: he collected last year nearly 5 million US dollars, mainly in shares.
Denholm, who also led the Tesla Audit Committee, He came to this position as part of an agreement between the company and the US regulatory authorities following Musk's controversial comments on social media, announcing their intention to buy back the company's shares and cease trading on the stock market.
His words spurred the value of the stock, but a few weeks later, Musk retracted.
The authorities then opened an alleged fraud case, which was resolved through a $ 40 million fine deal, with the company paying US $ 20 million and Musk taking care of the rest.
In addition, the businessman had to resign as chairman of the board for a period of three years and leave this position to an "independent" person.
It was then that Denholm came on the scene.
FROM AUSTRALIA TO THE SILICON VALLEY
Denholm's professional career began at the Arthur Andersen consulting firm, where he came to work after studying economics at the University of Sydney.
She was then booked by Toyota's Australian subsidiary, where she worked for seven years until her first jump to California. working in the software company Sun Microsystems, where he rose to the position of vice president.
Her career has continued at Juniper Networks, a multinational network and security systems company, where she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
In 2017, she returned to Australia to become Chief Financial Officer of Telstra, the country's largest telecommunications company.
Over the next few months, he will maintain his obligations in this company before assuming his new role exclusively within Tesla.
Too close to Musk? The appointment of Denholm as Chairman of the Tesla Board of Directors has been poorly received.
Robyn has extensive experience in the technology and automotive sectors and as a member of the board of directors. has made great contributions over the past four years to help us become a profitable businesssaid Musk, who will maintain his Tesla CEO position.
Some analysts see it as decisive in the choice of Denholm.
"I think Musk has a lot to do with the national team and he wants to make sure he can understand each other," Chaim Siegel told Elazar Capital in Reuters.
Stephen Diamond, a professor of corporate governance at the University of Santa Clara, California, does not expect Denholm's appointment to be challenged by regulatory authorities because, in general, the concept of "independent" is interpreted loosely.
"But this violates the spirit of the agreement, which sought to change the culture of the board of directors so that there would be a counterweight to the worst instincts of Musk, "warned the academic.
Garrett Nelson of the CFRA research firm, however, believes that it makes sense that Tesla seeks to avoid the risk of naming a real stranger who will eventually collide with Musk.
"We see positively that Denholm has already worked in this sector with Toyota," Nelson said.
This past experience, it seems, is one of the things that drives Denholm to work for Tesla.
"I love being part of the Tesla board because it combines a lot of things that I love. like energy and technology, "he said in an interview for Odgers Berndtson's website last January.
"What's exciting about Tesla is that it's a business that affects entire industries instead of a specific technology and a rapidly changing environment," he added.
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