Overview

Redwood Materials, the battery-recycling startup founded by Tesla board member JB Straubel, has appointed Colin Campbell, Tesla’s former vice president of powertrain engineering, as their chief technology officer.

About Redwood Materials

Based in Carson City, Nevada, Redwood was established by Straubel in 2017 while he was still serving as Tesla’s CTO. Straubel left Tesla in 2019 to focus on Redwood. The company specializes in recycling end-of-life electric vehicle batteries and scrap from car factories to produce raw materials and components for new battery cells. Redwood is also known for incorporating sustainably mined materials in its manufacturing processes.

About Colin Campbell

After a 17-year tenure at Tesla working in various engineering and leadership roles, Campbell announced his move to Redwood on LinkedIn. He expressed gratitude to his former colleagues at Tesla, describing his time at the company as a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.” Campbell’s role at Redwood will involve focusing on electrification and solving upstream challenges to facilitate widespread EV and clean energy adoption. One of Redwood’s missions is to establish a circular battery supply chain, localized in the US, by creating critical battery components at scale using an increasing amount of recycled content.

Strategic Talent Acquisition

Redwood has a history of attracting top talent from Tesla. Kevin Kassekert, Redwood’s operating chief, previously held the role of vice president of people and places at Tesla. According to LinkedIn, more than 120 individuals who once worked for Tesla currently contribute to Redwood’s team. Straubel, recognized as a co-founder of Tesla, was elected as an independent director on Tesla’s board earlier this year by the company’s shareholders.

Recent Developments at Tesla

Colin Campbell’s departure from Tesla follows the recent announcement that the company’s finance chief, Zach Kirkhorn, would be stepping down. Tesla accounting chief Vaibhav Taneja has assumed the roles of both CFO and accounting chief, according to Tesla’s shareholder disclosure.

No Comment from Tesla

Tesla has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding Campbell’s transition to Redwood Materials.

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