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Electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc has promoted the company’s China unit chief Tom Zhu to take charge of its US assembly plants and sales operations in North America and Europe – making Zhu the highest-profile executive at Tesla after Elon Musk. The car maker’s posting showed Zhu’s designation of vice president for Greater China had not changed, and that he retained his responsibilities as Tesla’s most senior executive for sales in the rest of Asia, reported news agency Reuters.
All you need to know about Tom Zhu:
1. Born in China, Tom Zhu now holds a New Zealand passport. He has a Bachelor’s degree of commerce in information technology from Auckland University of Technology, and a post-graduation from the MBA program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.
2. Before 2014, he was a project manager at a company established by his MBA classmates at Duke university – advising Chinese contractors working on infrastructure projects in Africa.
Also read: Tesla sold a record 1.3 million vehicles last year
3. Zhu joined Tesla in early 2014 to help build out its Supercharger network.
4. He rose through Tesla’s ranks quickly – becoming the manager of China operations by the end of his first year. Tesla’s Shanghai factory – the company’s first outside the US – quickly began producing electric cars in under 12 months.
5. In July 2022, Zhu was elevated further to oversee all of Tesla Asia Pacific as the automaker expanded in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
6. Tesla country managers in China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand have been reporting to Zhu and will continue to do so.
7. Zhu’s China team had received praise from Elon Musk for “burning the 3 am oil” during Shanghai’s Covid lockdown. Tom Zhu was among the first batch of employees sleeping in the factory as they sought to keep it running, reported Reuters.
Also read: Musk tells Tesla workers not to be ‘bothered by stock market’ after shares fall
8. Almost always dressed in a Tesla-branded fleece, Zhu is known for his buzz cut and a reportedly no-fuss managerial skill. He lives in a two-bedroom, government-subsidized rental apartment about a 10-minute drive from the factory that costs less than 2,000 yuan ($300) a month, reported Bloomberg.
9. During an interview with Chinese media last year, Zhu had mentioned that he starts his work day around 6 am to catch his North American colleagues before they log off for the evening. Then, he travels to the factory – sometimes carpooling with other employees who live in the same complex.
10. Zhu has steered clear from the limelight, hurrying off from public appearances.
(With inputs from Reuters, Bloomberg)
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