Former Harley-Davidson Executive Replaces Siry as Head of Marketing for Tesla
By Scott Doggett December 2, 2008
Darryl Siry (right), Telsa Motors' senior vice president for sales and marketing, has tendered his resignation.
"I have resigned my position with Tesla Motors due to some disagreements in strategy," he wrote on his blog Monday. "I believe that in such a situation it's best for a senior executive to part ways with the company so as to not get in the way."
The move indicates that turmoil continues at the electric-vehicle maker, which includes the firing of co-founder Martin Eberhard and, most recently, the demotion of CEO Ze'ev Drori.
Company spokeswoman Rachel Konrad insisted that Siry left of his own accord. "He was not ousted or fired or anything like that."
Indeed, she said, "to be perfectly honest, he helped recruit (his replacement) Michael van der Sande," a 43-year-old former senior executive at Harley-Davidson credited for building the brand in Europe.
Van der Sande (left
) joined Harley-Davidson in 1996 and was most recently vice president and managing director for operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, overseeing more than 370 dealerships in nearly three dozen countries.
Prior to joining Harley-Davidson, van der Sande held various marketing and dealer development roles at Nissan Europe and Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars.
A source inside Tesla told us that Siry recommended Van der Sande to replace him--and that Van der Sande first interviewed for the position in September. So, Siry's departure came as no surprise to anyone at the company and, the source said, his departure was amicable.
In a statement issued today, Tesla said: "Van der Sande, a Dutch native who speaks four languages fluently and has lived in seven countries, brings to Tesla extensive knowledge of the European regulatory and consumer market. In the spring, Tesla began taking orders for the all-electric, zero-emission Roadster in Europe, and Tesla will begin EU deliveries in spring 2009. The company expects to sell roughly half of its next model, the all-electric, zero-emission Model S sedan, in Europe. Tesla also plans to expand to Asia."
The company also stated that van der Sande, whose grandparents drove in the famed Monte Carlo Rally in the French Riviera, holds a racing license and will work out of Tesla's London office.
As for Siry, he said he has no immediate plans but looks forward to "exploring various opportunities that I find out there. One thing I have been developing is a business idea in the media/technology space. I am very excited about it but we'll see where that goes."
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Photo credit: Brian Solis
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