Redwood Materials COO Announces Retirement Amid Executive Departures
Chris Lister, the Chief Operating Officer of Redwood Materials, is set to retire from the battery recycling firm, according to information obtained by TechCrunch. His departure is part of a broader trend of executive turnover at the company.
Career Journey Leading to COO Role
Before joining Redwood, Lister held the position of Vice President overseeing operations at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada. Since joining Redwood in late 2023 as the Chief Supply Chain Officer, he quickly climbed the ranks to COO by 2024. This promotion positioned him alongside JB Straubel, the company’s founder and CEO, who previously served as Tesla’s Chief Technology Officer and is currently a board member at the automaker.
Retirement Announcement and Company Confirmation
Redwood Materials recently communicated to employees that Lister will retire, following a source’s disclosure to TechCrunch who requested anonymity. A spokesperson for the company confirmed Lister’s imminent departure, wishing him well in his retirement via email.
Workforce Restructuring Amid Recent Layoffs
The announcement of Lister’s retirement comes just days after TechCrunch reported that Redwood laid off approximately 10% of its workforce, equating to around 135 employees. These layoffs were part of a restructuring plan that Straubel outlined in a company-wide email earlier this week. The initiative is designed to bolster Redwood’s emerging energy storage division, with recent partnerships established with Rivian and Crusoe to supply refurbished batteries for grid storage applications.
Additional Executive Departures from Redwood
The leadership team at Redwood has seen further changes, with several executives leaving in recent months. Bradley Mayhew, who served as Vice President of Integrated Supply Chain and was previously with Tesla, departed earlier this month. Guillermo Urquiza, the Vice President of Mechanical Engineering, also a former Tesla employee, left in March, while Carlos Lozano, the Vice President of Manufacturing, transitioned to a new leadership role at Panasonic earlier this year.
Company’s Management Restructuring Plans
Neither Mayhew, Urquiza, nor Lozano responded to requests for comments regarding their departures. While Redwood did not detail the reasons behind these exits, the company noted that Straubel discussed in his all-staff email his efforts to streamline management layers.
Future Directions for Redwood Materials
In his message, Straubel acknowledged that certain areas of the company had expanded more rapidly than necessary. He expressed renewed enthusiasm about the path forward, emphasizing the goal of establishing an integrated and cost-effective energy materials and storage business. “We are confident that we can deliver on our critical projects with a smaller, more focused team,” he stated, highlighting Redwood’s adaptability in a competitive market that has challenged many rivals.