Home / Business and Economy / Redwood Materials COO Retires Amidst Exec Departures
Redwood Materials COO Retires Amidst Exec Departures
24 Apr
Summary
- COO Chris Lister retires from Redwood Materials.
- Company recently laid off approximately 10% of its workforce.
- Multiple other VPs have departed in recent months.
Redwood Materials is experiencing significant leadership changes as Chief Operating Officer Chris Lister announced his retirement. Lister, who previously led operations at Tesla's Nevada Gigafactory, joined Redwood in late 2023 and was promoted to COO in 2024. His departure comes shortly after the company implemented layoffs affecting approximately 10% of its workforce, around 135 employees, as part of a strategic restructuring.
This organizational shift, communicated by CEO JB Straubel, aims to support the company's expanding energy storage business and streamline management layers. Straubel indicated that "parts of the company have expanded faster than needed" and expressed confidence in achieving critical projects with a more focused team. The company has secured deals with Rivian and Crusoe for refurbished batteries used in grid storage.
Lister is not the only recent executive departure. Bradley Mayhew (VP of Integrated Supply Chain), Guillermo Urquiza (VP of Mechanical Engineering), and Carlos Lozano (VP of Manufacturing) have all left the company in recent months. Lozano has moved to Panasonic in a leadership role. Redwood has declined specific comments on these departures but noted Straubel's message about reducing management layers.
