Robyn Denholm

Early life Denholm was born 27 May 1963 in Milperra, New South Wales. Her parents met and married in Tripoli, Libya, immigrating to Australia in the 1950s. She has Maltese and Italian ancestry on her father's side and Maltese and Scottish ancestry on her mother's side; her father spoke five languages.

Denholm grew up in the Sydney suburb of Lugarno with her older brother and younger sister. Her father worked as a welder and her mother was a ledger machine operator. When she was seven years old, the family purchased a service station and workshop in Milperra. She attended Peakhurst High School. Denholm is a chartered accountant (generally equivalent to a certified public accountant in the United States) and a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Career After graduating, Denholm began her career at Arthur Andersen in Sydney in 1984. She became the vice president of finance for Toyota Australia in 1989, a position she held for seven years. She joined the finance division of Sun Microsystems in 1996,

Denholm joined Tesla’s board in 2014 as a director and chair of the audit committee, receiving approximately US$17 million in stock options during her tenure.

Denholm was appointed chair of Tesla in November 2018, following a settlement between Tesla, Elon Musk, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requiring Musk to step down from the role after his controversial 2018 tweet about taking Tesla private.

Personal life Denholm is married to David Taylor, a retired electrical engineer. She has a son and a daughter from a previous marriage.

Year Financial ReviewRich List ForbesAustralia's 50 Richest Rank Net worth (A$) Rank 2021 $688 million 2022 2023 n/a not listed 2024 n/a not listed 2025 $952 million

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