Rose Marcario, the former CEO of Patagonia, is stepping down from her position on Rivian’s board of directors. According to a stock exchange filing, her last day will be January 1. Rivian stated she is leaving to focus on other commitments. Upon her resignation, the board will shrink from eight members to seven.
Marcario’s departure comes at a pivotal moment for Rivian. The company is entering an important year, with plans to start selling its more affordable R2 SUV in the first half of 2026. This new vehicle is expected to reach a much wider market than Rivian’s current R1 models. The company aims to produce hundreds of thousands of R2 vehicles annually, including at a new factory in Georgia. Rivian also intends to expand its automated driving features next year, a strategy detailed at its recent Autonomy & AI Day event.
Marcario joined Rivian’s board in January 2021, following a twelve-year tenure as an executive and eventual CEO at Patagonia. Before her appointment, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe had often expressed his ambition for the company to become “the Patagonia of EVs.”
Rivian noted that Marcario will continue as chair of the board of trustees for the Rivian Foundation. She serves on that board alongside Scaringe, Rivian’s chief sustainability officer Anisa Kamadoli Costa, and conservationist Ed M. Norton.
The Rivian Foundation was formed just before the company’s high-profile 2021 IPO. It was initially granted 1% of the company’s equity to make “the natural world” a stakeholder in Rivian’s success. The foundation was quiet in its early years as Rivian’s stock price fell from post-IPO highs. It announced its first grants, totaling $10 million, in 2024. This year, the foundation has publicized another $2.6 million in awards on its website.
A company spokesperson said, “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.”