Tesla announced that Robyn Denholm had taken Tesla founder Elon Musk's place as chair of the company's board. She is due to leave her job as chief financial officer and head of strategy at Telstra Corp., the Australian telecommunications company, once her six-month notice period ends.

Denholm was cited by Tesla's Board of Directors as saying that she believes in "this company and its mission" and that she looks forward to "helping Elon [Musk] and the Tesla team achieve sustainable profitability and drive long-term shareholder value."

Musk, for his part, said that "Robyn has extensive experience in both the tech and auto industries, and she has made significant contributions as a Tesla Board member over the past four years in helping us become a profitable company."

"I look forward to working even more closely with Robyn as we continue accelerating the advent of sustainable energy," Musk underscored.

In late September, Musk and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) settled out of court fraud charge brought against the billionaire by the regulator over Musk's statements suggesting taking Tesla private.

According to the agreement reached by Musk and the SEC, the entrepreneur will have to step down as Tesla's chairman and will not be able to hold this post for at least three years, but will remain as the company's CEO.

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