Indian-origin Vaibhan Taneja takes on the role of Tesla’s new Chief Financial Officer, according to an announcement made by the automaker in a company filing on Monday. The appointment comes as Zachary Kirkhorn, the previous finance chief, decided to step down from his position. Mr. Taneja, aged 45, assumes the responsibilities of Tesla CFO while continuing his current role as Chief Accounting Officer (CAO) at the US-based electric car major.
The filing highlights Mr. Kirkhorn’s impressive 13-year tenure as Tesla’s Master of Coin and finance chief, during which the company experienced tremendous expansion and growth under the leadership of Elon Musk, the CEO of the American EV giant.
Tesla expresses its gratitude for Mr. Kirkhorn’s substantial contributions and acknowledges his valuable role. The company has mutually agreed that Mr. Kirkhorn will remain in service until the end of the year to ensure a smooth and seamless transition.
In a LinkedIn post, Mr. Kirkhorn announced that he has resigned from his position as Chief Financial Officer at Tesla. He revealed that Vaibhav Taneja, the Chief Accounting Officer, will be succeeding him in this role.
In a heartfelt statement, Mr. Kirkhorn expressed his deep appreciation for the unique and rewarding journey of being part of Tesla for over 13 years. He conveyed immense pride in the collective accomplishments achieved during his tenure with the company. As he begins to shift his responsibilities to facilitate a smooth transition, he extended his gratitude to the dedicated and driven employees at Tesla, whose efforts have achieved remarkable feats that were once deemed impossible.
Furthermore, Mr. Kirkhorn extended his thanks to Elon Musk for his visionary leadership and unwavering optimism, which served as a source of inspiration for countless individuals.
Mr. Taneja has been an integral part of Tesla’s financial leadership team for several years. He took on the role of Chief Accounting Officer (CAO) in March 2019, and prior to that, he served as the Corporate Controller starting from May 2018. Before assuming the position of Corporate Controller, he held the position of Assistant Corporate Controller from February 2017 to May 2018.
Mr. Taneja’s association with Tesla traces back to March 2016 when he joined the company. At that time, he held various finance and accounting positions at SolarCity Corporation, a US-based solar panel developer that Tesla acquired in 2016.
According to the company filing, before joining Tesla, Mr. Taneja had a longstanding career at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He worked for the renowned firm both in India and the US from July 1999 to March 2016, gaining valuable expertise and experience in the financial domain.
