Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Vice president of communications Simon Sproule will exit the company to join Aston Martin, joining his former colleague Andy Palmer, who recently joined the sports car maker as the chief executive, says a report from the Wall Street Journal citing a source familiar with the matter. Sproule will work along with Mr.Palmer, who became the CEO of Aston Martin in September. Both of them have worked at Nissan together for a decade.
No comments from Tesla
Sproule moved from Yokohama to the Bay Area for the combined communication and marketing leadership role, a new position created at Tesla. Sproule started working with Tesla in March, and previously worked with Nissan Motors. Before the joining of Sproule, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was responsible for the company’s external communications like posting on Twitter and scripting blog posts.
Sarah Bruning Meron, who is now working at Yahoo, held the top communication job at Tesla for four months in 2013. Prior to Sproule, Ricardo Reyes was the director of public relations and exited the company in 2012.
The EV manufacturer did not comment on the departure, and Sproule himself was not available for the comment, noted WSJ.
Departure at crucial time for Tesla
In his seven-month tenure at Tesla, Sproule and the company’s communication team handled dealership battles, the much anticipated Gigafactory announcement and the launch of a right-hand drive in markets such as UK and Japan.
Sproule’s departure from the company comes on the heels of an announcement by the company to release “D” at an event in Los Angeles on Thursday. According to analysts, D refers to All Wheel Drive with something to do with autonomous driving.
Meanwhile, Tesla is planning a big event on October 9, where Elon Musk is expected to launch some new things. Barclays’ Brian Johnson notes that based on the previous trends “D” could be a driver assistance systems or a dual-motor Model S (to provide all-wheel drive capability). Additionally, Tesla did give a hint that it will offer an all-wheel drive Model S, and with the fall/winter season coming, the time seems fit for the launch.
