Howard (Hao) Zheng

Senior Staff, Battery Raw Materials Supply Chain - Tesla

Fusion Expert Network Member

Hao Zheng, known as Howard, serves as a Senior Staff member at Tesla, overseeing the entirety of battery recycling and the critical mineral supply chain. With a wealth of experience spanning over 15 years, Howard has been a prominent figure in global commodities supply chain management, having held leadership positions in aerospace & defense, automotive, packaging, and industrial sectors. Throughout his career, he has been a driving force behind numerous Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives within these industries.

Previously, Howard held a senior leadership role at Arconic (formerly Alcoa), a Fortune 500 company, where he managed a procurement budget exceeding $5 billion and led the entire direct supply chain team. He successfully navigated the company through a multitude of supply chain challenges, including logistical hurdles, the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and evolving protectionist trade policies. Additionally, he tackled recent regulatory changes such as the IRA regulations (Inflation Reduction Act). During his tenure, he also served as Head of Sustainability at both Arconic and United Technology (Otis), driving initiatives to establish Scope 3 ESG emission standards.

Howard's expertise lies in metals and mining, alloys, rare earth elements, and various risk management strategies including logistics, foreign exchange, metal derivatives, and energy. Prior to his corporate roles, he honed his skills as both a physical and derivative trader at major commodities trading houses such as Gerald Group and Hunter Douglas Group. He traded a wide array of commodities including copper, aluminum, and scrap on a global scale, managing an annual trading volume exceeding $13 billion. His trading activities spanned across prominent exchanges including the London Metal Exchange, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, NYMEX, Shanghai Futures Exchange, and he was formerly one of the largest traders of the Brazilian Real currency.

He holds a Bachelor from Northwestern University where he double majored in Organization Behavior and Political Science, and an MBA from University of Cambridge.