Former Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario is stepping down from her seat on Rivian’s board, according to a Friday afternoon stock market filing.
Rivian wrote in the filing that Marcario’s last day will be Jan. 1 and that she is leaving “to focus on other commitments.” Rivian’s board will shrink from eight to seven following her resignation.
Marcario’s departure and the shrinking of Rivian’s board comes on the eve of an important year for the company. Rivian plans to start selling its more affordable R2 SUV in the first half of 2026. The upcoming R2 is supposed to reach a much wider market than the company’s current R1 SUV and pickup, and the EV maker has plans to build hundreds of thousands of them annually, including at a new factory in Georgia. Rivian is also looking to expand its automated driving capabilities next year, which it showcased at its inaugural Autonomy & AI Day event last week.
Marcario has served on Rivian’s board since January 2021, a role she assumed after 12 years as an executive (and eventually CEO) of Patagonia. Before her appointment, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe often is described his aim to make the company “the Patagonia of EVs”.
Rivian said Friday that Marcario will continue in her role as chair of the board that oversees the Rivian Foundation. He serves on that board along with Scaringe, Rivian’s chief sustainability officer, Anisa Kamadoli Costa, and conservationist Ed M. Norton.
The Rivian Foundation, established shortly before the company’s groundbreaking IPO in 2021, initially received 1% of the company’s equity in order to make “the natural world” a “stakeholder [Rivian’s] success.” The foundation remained quiet for the first few years as Rivian’s stock price fell from its post-IPO highs and announced its first grants of $10 million in 2024.
This year the Rivian Foundation has made public another $2.6 million in prizes on her website.
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“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 of the Rivian Foundation,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
