Tesla names 2 independent board directors

Tesla has named Oracle founder Larry Ellison and Walgreens Boots Alliance's Kathleen Wilson-Thompson as independent directors as part of its deal with the SEC.

A file image of Larry Ellison

Oracle founder Larry Ellison is one of the two independent directors appointed to Tesla's board. (AAP)

Tesla has named two independent board directors as part of a September deal with federal regulators to move past the turbulence following chief executive officer Elon Musk's tweet about taking the electric car-maker private.

The company said on Friday Oracle Corp's founder Larry Ellison and Walgreens Boots Alliance's global head of human resources Kathleen Wilson-Thompson joined the board as independent directors, effective December 27. Ellison bought 3 million shares of Tesla earlier this year.

"In Larry and Kathleen, we have added a pre-eminent entrepreneur and a human resources leader, both of whom have a passion for sustainable energy," Tesla said.

Under an agreement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Musk agreed to pay a $US20 million ($A28 million) fine and step aside as Tesla's chairman for three years to settle charges that could have forced his exit. Tesla also agreed to pay a $US20 million fine.

Tesla also agreed to appoint an independent chairman, two independent directors and a board committee to control Musk's communications.

A US judge in October approved the deal resulting from Musk's August 7 tweets that he was considering taking the company private and had secured funding, which prompted the SEC to file fraud charges against him.

In November, Tesla named director Robyn Denholm as board chair, fulfilling one of the demands. She joined Tesla as an independent director in 2014 and agreed to step down from her job as finance chief of Australian telecoms firm Telstra.

The stock dropped in September after the SEC accused Musk, 47, of fraud over his "false and misleading" tweets.

The company's shares were up 4.4 per cent at $US330 in early trading on Friday.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Tesla names 2 independent board directors | SBS News