Can Australian Robyn Denholm Tame Elon Musk?

A few hours later, the situation was in fact resolved, but not as expected by most observers. Denholm had accepted a replacement offer from Musk at Tesla headquarters and simultaneously resigned from Telstra.

Faced with a choice between one of the toughest jobs in Australian companies and probably the biggest and most difficult business in the world, she opted for the latter.

Few would blame him for it – even if he gives Andy Penn, Telstra's new chief executive, a headache, as he tries to destroy thousands of jobs and cut costs so to redress the difficult situation of the telephone company.

& # 39; Easy to underestimate & # 39;

So who exactly is Robyn Denholm? Her colleagues and former colleagues, as well as others who have dealt with respected senior technology management, describe her as a smart, hard-core business operator who will be a big loss for Telstra. "She is excellent," said one of these people. "Easy to underestimate."

"I think all the egos in the United States will have a hard time understanding how such a devaluing person has managed to play that role"

Loading

Aged 55, he grew up in southwestern Sydney. She graduated in Commerce from the University of Sydney and subsequently graduated from the University of New South Wales.

After working for accounting firms Arthur Andersen and Toyota (now missing), she joined Sun Microsystems software company in Sydney. She then took her to the US, where she spent 16 years, and then became CFO of Juniper Networks, an OEM.

Denholm joined the Tesla Board of Directors in 2014 as the first female director. She was one of two independent directors alongside media reporter James Murdoch (previously considered the favorite to replace Musk in the presidency).

Critics of the Tesla board of directors (including the shareholders suing the company and Denholm) say that she and the rest of the board should have done more to control Musk during her recent meetings. well-documented getaways. The US regulator of companies recently fined Tesla and Musk and forced him to step down as president.

Loading

Reining in the most famous entrepreneur of a generation, whose behavior has been very erratic lately, seems quite daunting. But you have the feeling that Denholm is not afraid of the challenge.

"From my point of view, you may be special, but you have to continue," said Denholm at the accounting meeting held on Thursday. "Resilience in the job market is a fundamental skill today."

Despite a string of recent scandals, investigations and lawsuits, Tesla has released its biggest quarterly profit so far last month.

The demand for the company's cars, including its cheaper 3-model, aimed at mainstream consumers, remains high. Doing enough of them, without spending a lot of money, seems to be the problem.

As for Telstra, the company's sources did not expect things to go well.

Penn had repeatedly expressed confidence in Denholm's ability to handle both roles; and last month, a spokeswoman told the newspaper that she would not be a presidential candidate for Tesla.

This has not happened and the search for Denholm's replacement has already begun.