Tesla‘s Market Expansion EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) chief Laurens Keuning is leaving the company, he announced this Monday on LinkedIn.
Keuning said that “after laying the foundation for Tesla’s market entry into Saudi Arabia,” the manager “made the tough decision to leave the company after 10.5 years at the end of last year.” (Full statement below)
After launching in the UAE, Israeand Jordan, the brand has expanded last week its presence in the Middle East after officially entered the Saudi Arabian market.
“It was fantastic to celebrate and reconnect with many of the colleagues and business relations who were part of this journey during last week’s launch celebrations,” Keuning said, referring to the event held in Riyadh last week.
Over the last ten years, Keuning was also responsible for Tesla‘s market expansion to Turkey and Qatar, and oversaw the implementation of the U.S. brand in European countries like Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Croatia and Greece.
Keuning joined Tesla in 2014 as an event coordinator in the Benelux region. After two years, he became a Marketing Specialist and was promoted to Senior Marketing lead for the Netherlands in 2018.
He later moved to the EMEA region and became Chief of Staff to the Vice President in 2019. Keuning was stationed in Berlin for 3 months as the project leader for the opening of the Gigafactory in Brandenburg, during the COVID-19 pandemic — which now hosts the world’s largest EV charging park.
Keuning’s exit follows other senior and executive exits in the company led by Elon Musk.
Departures
Last week, Bloomberg reported that Tesla‘s VP of software engineering, David Lau, told colleagues he was planning to leave the company he’s been at for 12 years, with Harsh Rungta, director of accounting controllership, following just a few days later.
A year ago, the engineering executive Drew Baglino — who worked for Tesla for 18 years and participated at multiple events alongside the company’s CEO — said goodbye.
Rohan Patel, VP of public policy and business development for 7 years, confirmed then that he was also leaving. In October, public policy director Jos Dings, who was also with company for 7 years, followed.
The electronics hardware engineer Zheng Gao followed in December — having spent 8 years leading Tesla‘s Autopilot hardware team, after having worked for Apple.
2025 Outlook
Tesla is facing challenges with increasing competition, lower than expected demand, and brand image damage as protests continue across North America and Europe.
The company is set to launch a cheaper model and refreshed versions of its flagships, while it is developing its FSD (full self-driving) system, which will be applied to the upcoming Robotaxi.
This leads several analysts to reiterate their ‘bullish’ view on Tesla despite tariffs impact for U.S. brands — as the company produces most of its vehicles locally.
In the first three months of the year, the EV maker’s sales declined all over the globe, especially in Europe, where it saw a decline of over 50% year over year in the German and French markets.
Tesla delivered 1,789,226 EVs in 2024, down 1% from 1.81 million in the previous year. In the first quarter of 2025, the brand delivered 336,700 vehicles, a drop of 12.6% year over year.
Late last year, Elon Musk said he expected Tesla‘s sales to grow 20-30% in 2025, a target that was updated by the company in late January to a “return to growth” outlook.
Read Lauren Keuning’s full statement below:
“That’s a wrap!⚡️ After laying the foundation for Tesla’s market entry into Saudi Arabia, I made the tough decision to leave the company after 10.5 years at the end of last year. It was fantastic to celebrate and reconnect with many of the colleagues and business relations who were part of this journey during last week’s launch celebrations.
Some time has passed in the meantime, allowing me to fully enjoy life and reflect on everything that has happened. I’m incredibly grateful for the professional journey I’ve had and the opportunities that came my way. It’s been surreal stepping off the fast-paced company rollercoaster, but is becoming exciting to start looking ahead.
As I transition into this new phase, I’ve started to explore new opportunities where I can apply my expertise and continue my professional development. If you’re looking for someone with a proven track record, let’s connect!”
