Ex-Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario Leaves Rivian Board
▼ Summary
– Rose Marcario, former Patagonia CEO, is resigning from Rivian’s board of directors effective January 1 to focus on other commitments.
– Her departure reduces Rivian’s board from eight to seven members on the eve of a critical year for the company.
– Rivian plans to launch its more affordable R2 SUV in early 2026 and expand its automated driving features next year.
– Marcario will remain as chair of the Rivian Foundation, a role she shares with CEO RJ Scaringe and others.
– The Rivian Foundation, initially funded with 1% of company equity, has recently announced millions in grants after a quiet start.
Rose Marcario, the former chief executive of outdoor apparel leader Patagonia, has stepped down from her position on the board of directors at electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian. The company confirmed her resignation in a regulatory filing made public on Friday, noting her final day will be January 1. According to the filing, Marcario is leaving to focus on other professional commitments. Her departure will reduce the size of Rivian’s governing board from eight members to seven.
This board change arrives at a pivotal moment for the automaker. Rivian plans to start selling its more affordable R2 SUV in the first half of 2026, a vehicle critical to expanding its market reach beyond the current premium R1 models. The company aims for annual production in the hundreds of thousands for the R2, including output from a forthcoming factory in Georgia. Additionally, Rivian is preparing to roll out enhanced automated driving features next year, a strategy highlighted during its recent Autonomy & AI Day presentation.
Marcario joined Rivian’s board in January 2021, bringing with her the experience of a 12-year tenure at Patagonia where she ultimately served as CEO. Her appointment aligned with Rivian founder RJ Scaringe’s often-stated ambition to build “the Patagonia of EVs,” embedding strong environmental and social values into the company’s core identity.
While leaving the main board, Marcario will maintain her role as chair of the board of trustees for the Rivian Foundation. She oversees this philanthropic arm alongside Scaringe, Rivian’s chief sustainability officer Anisa Kamadoli Costa, and conservationist Ed M. Norton. Established just before Rivian’s high-profile 2021 public offering, the foundation was initially endowed with 1% of the company’s equity, symbolically making the natural world a stakeholder in its success. After a quiet initial period following Rivian’s stock volatility, the foundation announced its first major grants totaling $10 million earlier this year and has since publicized an additional $2.6 million in awards.
A company spokesperson acknowledged Marcario’s contributions, stating, “We would like to thank her for her stewardship on the Rivian board over the past 5 years, and look forward to her continued leadership on the Rivian Foundation.”
(Source: TechCrunch)
