Wayve has appointed Elisa de Martel as its new Chief Financial Officer, strengthening its executive leadership as the company accelerates commercialization of its AI Driver technology. De Martel brings more than two decades of financial experience in technology and automotive businesses, including autonomous driving. Based in Sunnyvale, she will oversee Wayve's global finance organization across automotive and robotaxi operations.
Leadership Experience in Autonomous Driving
Before joining Wayve, de Martel served as Chief Financial Officer at Waymo, where she led financial strategy, capital planning, and several operational functions. She supported the autonomous driving company's growth from pre-revenue to hundreds of thousands of weekly trips across five United States cities. During her tenure, she also led Waymo's $5.6 billion Series C financing.
At Waymo, de Martel also managed operational facilities, indirect procurement, and systems. These responsibilities gave her broad exposure to the physical and digital infrastructure needed to support autonomous ride services at scale. Wayve expects that combination of financial discipline and operational insight to be valuable as it expands its global footprint.
Earlier in her career, she served as Chief Financial Officer at Carbon, an industrial-grade 3D printing company. There she led a $260 million Series D raise and helped the company grow revenue past $100 million while improving gross margin by more than 60 percent. She also held senior finance roles at Apple, Citroen UK, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Strategic Appointment for Global Scale
Wayve said the appointment arrives as it accelerates commercialization of the Wayve AI Driver, an end-to-end AI system designed to scale across vehicles, geographies, and products. The system operates without reliance on high-definition maps, hand-coded rules, or custom hardware. This approach positions the company to pursue opportunities across both automotive and robotaxi markets.
In a statement, de Martel said she has spent her career at companies building transformative technology and is excited by the opportunity at Wayve. She described the company's AV2.0 model as an innovative and capital-efficient approach to autonomy. She added that she looks forward to scaling the AI Driver globally with the team and its partners, noting that road safety matters to her personally as a cyclist.
The AV2.0 approach uses a single end-to-end AI system rather than layering multiple technologies that depend on specific maps or custom hardware. Wayve argues this lowers complexity and cost while supporting faster deployment across different vehicle types and regions. The company is applying the model to both consumer automotive platforms and dedicated robotaxi fleets.
Leadership Transition and Recent Momentum
Max Warburton, who has served as Chief Financial Officer since 2024, will move into a strategic advisory role supporting the leadership team. Under his leadership, Wayve raised $1.2 billion and formed strategic partnerships with major automotive and technology companies including Uber, Nissan, Stellantis, and Qualcomm. The company also launched public rides in London, with Tokyo expected to follow soon.
Alex Kendall, co-founder and chief executive officer of Wayve, said he is excited about the experience and passion de Martel brings in autonomy and deep technology. He added that he looks forward to partnering with her to scale the company as the Wayve AI Driver launches in millions of vehicles. Kendall also thanked Warburton for building the financial foundation that helped Wayve reach this pivotal moment.
The appointment of de Martel reflects Wayve's focus on disciplined financial leadership as it moves from research and partnerships toward broader commercial deployment. Her experience with large-scale financing and operational growth in autonomous driving is expected to support the company's next chapter. With recent capital, strategic alliances, and public ride services, Wayve is positioning itself for expanded global adoption of its AI Driver.