Tom Zhu

Senior Vice President, APAC and Global Vehicle Manufacturing Tesla

Last Reviewed: October 3, 2026

Executive Summary

Tom Zhu is one of three executive officers at Tesla, a senior vice president since April 2023 who since June 2025 has been responsible for the Asia-Pacific region and global vehicle manufacturing. He joined Tesla in April 2014 and held operational roles before becoming vice president for Greater China, where he led the construction and operation of Gigafactory Shanghai, which Tesla lists among its principal facilities alongside Fremont, Austin, Nevada and Berlin. He holds an information technology degree from Auckland University of Technology and an MBA from Duke. His remit is notable for its reach: the executive who built Tesla’s Shanghai plant now oversees vehicle production for the whole company.

Career Highlights

• Senior Vice President of Tesla since April 2023.
• Senior Vice President, APAC and Global Vehicle Manufacturing, since June 2025.
• Led the construction and operations of Gigafactory Shanghai as Vice President, Greater China.
• Joined Tesla in April 2014.

Professional Journey

Zhu earned a bachelor’s degree of commerce in information technology at Auckland University of Technology and an MBA at Duke University, according to Tesla’s filings. He joined Tesla in April 2014 and served in various operational roles.

He was then appointed vice president for Greater China, where he led the construction and operations of Gigafactory Shanghai. Tesla’s 2025 annual report lists Gigafactory Shanghai and the neighboring Megafactory Shanghai, which makes energy storage products, among its principal facilities; Tesla owns the buildings and holds the land-use rights for an initial term of 50 years.

In April 2023 he became a senior vice president of Tesla, and in June 2025 his title became senior vice president for Asia-Pacific and global vehicle manufacturing, extending his remit from the region to Tesla’s vehicle factories worldwide, which besides Shanghai include the Fremont Factory in California, Gigafactory Texas in Austin, Gigafactory Nevada and Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg.

He is one of only three executive officers Tesla lists, alongside chief executive Elon Musk and chief financial officer Vaibhav Taneja. Tesla publishes no executive biographies, so the public record of his career is largely limited to these filings.

Education

Auckland University of Technology

Bachelor’s degree, Commerce in Information Technology

Duke University

MBA