Chris Lister

Chris Lister

Vice President of Operations


Tesla

Sparks, NV USA


There are things you’ll learn about yourself over time. The way to bring those skills out is to step outside of your comfort zone and try new things. You’ll be surprised at what you’re actually good at!

Videos

By Roadtrip Nation

Chris Lister

Milestones

My road in life has been direct.
Growing up, I was good at math and science, and was always curious about how things worked.
I got my bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, which I felt was the best way to blend my interests with real-world operations.
After undergrad, I continued my education and received an MBA in finance from Loyola University Maryland.
I started my career out of college at Frito-Lay and spent as much time as I could learning about operations, engineering, and leadership—all of the things that make factories and supply chains tick!
From there, I’ve held various positions across the continent within the engineering, manufacturing, production, and supply chain fields.
At one point in my career, I was given the opportunity to pursue an expatriate position—my family and I moved to Canada, where we all had to learn and adapt to a new culture and environment.
I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to watch and learn from both good and bad leaders—that mentorship has helped me step into the leadership roles that I’ve held.
I’m now the vice president of operations at the gigafactory for Tesla in Nevada, where we make technology to help the world transition to sustainable energy.
Keep following my journey

Career

Vice President of Operations

I remove barriers so our operations team can solve problems and accomplish their goals.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Engineering
Technology
Problem Solving

Day to Day

I think of myself as a "servant leader." I put the operations and sales teams first and use my position to break down barriers to operations and production—of battery packs, drive units, solar glass, and other technologies for sustainable energy—so that my team can do their jobs and accomplish their goals.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for college students

Talk to as many people in as many different industries as you can. Think about your interests and what you're naturally good at, and then leverage your experiences around your strengths. Make sure you pay attention to developing your interpersonal skills while in college. Those skill sets are just as important in the workforce as the actual curriculum you're learning.

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Society in General:

"It's not okay to fail."

Challenges I Overcame

School Stress
Relocation

Interviewed By

All In

All In

Innovative careers in Nevada’s historic industries