Speakers

Varnika is a Battery Research Analyst at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, where her primary focus is on the technical side of batteries electric vehicle, energy stationary storage and battery market analysis. She has been with the company for 2.5 years, covering key regions. Headquartered in London, offers the most comprehensive and well-informed forecasts and analysis for the energy transition.

Yahya Alvar has over 25 years of experience within the automotive industry in mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, product development life cycle, project and program management, electrification, and battery design and development projects.

He joined UKBIC’s commercial team in 2022 as Business Development Manager, before becoming Head of Business Development in July 2024, where he supports UK and international customers to develop, optimise and scale-up their battery electrodes, cells, modules, and packs.

Prior to UKBIC, Yahya worked at Ricardo UK where he delivered consultancy services for battery module and pack design and development projects, and for Ford, at its Technical Centre, where he managed engineering consultancy projects and the delivery team for Altran UK.

He holds a dual MSc degree in International project management and BSc in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.

Yassine Ammar is a Senior Sales Engineer at Arbin Instruments, a leading global provider of advanced battery testing solutions. He holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

Yassine began his career with engineering roles at Texas Instruments and Infineon Technologies, before joining the technical sales team at Arbin Europe. With a strong foundation in both engineering and customer engagement, he has since built a proven track record in technical sales, project consulting, and supporting major battery testing initiatives across Europe.

His expertise lies in bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and real-world application, helping clients design and implement scalable, high-performance testing solutions for research, development, and production.

Dr. Elixabete Ayerbe holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering and boasts over 15 years of experience in batteries, fuel cells, and related technologies. Her expertise spans fundamental research and technological applications, with a particular focus on modeling. As the Team Leader in Modeling and Post-mortem at CIDETEC Energy Storage, Elixabete coordinates activities related to multi-physics and data-driven models, including parameterization and post-mortem analysis of various cell chemistries Elixabete is involved in numerous european funded projects in the field and is an active member of the European batteries ecosystem; she has led the Manufacturability chapter of the Roadmap and has been member of the Executive Board for the Battery2030+ Initiative.

She is also active member of BEPA Batteries Partnership Association where she has contributed to several position papers and task force groups including safety, digitalization and manufacturing.

Pierre Bagnon is Executive Vice President at Capgemini Invent. As the Global Head of the Batteries & Gigafactories sector and the Intelligent Industry Accelerator at Capgemini, he supports industry players in tackling major industrial challenges by unlocking the full potential of digital technologies and paving the way for new business models.

After training at Sciences Po Paris and INSP, I joined DGE in 2024 to work on the implantation of the Battery Strategy.

Mark Bellino is Hatch’s Global Director of Battery Material and Cell Manufacturing. He has been practicing process and plant design for over 28 years, holds a degree in Chemical Engineering, and is a Professional Engineer (Ontario). He manages and consults on battery materials and battery cell and battery recycling projects for numerous clients such as Aleon, Altilium, Duracell, Forge Nano, LG, GM, Nano One, Northvolt, Panasonic, POSCO, VW, Vianode, Graphite One, and Lyten.

Hagen Berger, CEO of Exacom GmbH in Germany, began investigating battery inspection already in 2015. In 2018, Berger presented and sold the company’s first tool with battery inspection capabilities. Since then, Exacom’s customer base and portfolio have continued to expand,
boasting over 100 installations for all major cell formats with more than 2 billion cells inspected.

Known for his visionary leadership, Berger has been a driving force behind the adoption of inline X-ray inspection systems in battery manufacturing. This has significantly accelerated production while reducing reject rates. His unwavering dedication to advancing technology and process understanding in the battery industry has earned him recognition and respect among his peers.

Dr. Stefan Bergold serves as the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Vianode AS. He has over 20 years of experience in global sales and engineering executive positions, with a deep knowledge of the battery value chain. Before joining Vianode, Stefan held the position of
General Manager of Europe for Farasis Energy Co. and was a Board Director of SIRO Clean Energy Technology. He holds a PhD in electrical engineering.

Construction professional with over 15 years of experience in complex industrial and infrastructure projects, Julien has been involved in pre-contract and construction phases of several gigafactories in France.

Julien is currenlty the Turner & Townsend’s battery business unit lead in France.

Thomas has more than fifteen years of experience in materials chemistry and ten years in the Li-ion battery market – holds a MSc in Inorganic Chemistry and a PhD in Materials Science and Energy.

Thomas conducted several studies as Process lead for refining virgin material (i.e. from mining) and recycling materials from used Li-ion batteries. He also led multiple technical studies on battery recycling companies and scouted the battery recycling landscape from technical and market standpoint. He was also involved in various projects with reputable clients from the pCAM/CAM industry, as well as AutoOEM. Thomas participated to several Advisory studies for clients in the Li-ion battery value chain, from the due diligence on CAM manufacturers to strategic battery grade materials/battery recycling projects for newcomers to the industry.

Thomas’ experience combined a strong technical understanding of the processes used in the Li-ion value chain, especially for production of refined battery-grade salts, pCAM, CAM for Ni-rich based CAM and LFP CAM, along with battery recycling – coupled with a deep understanding of the Li-ion battery market to provide highly valuable insights for Hatch as Technical Subject Matter Expert.

Philippe holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry and computing science from University of Bordeaux after what he joined Saft in 1991 and worked first as research scientist for rechargeable lithium and Li-ion. Then he moved as Li-ion Research manager from 1996 on Li-ion, managing several National, European and International R&D projects. From 2008, he led the Li-ion Unit for development, industrialization and production of NCA based cells. From 2012 to 2016, he was the Europe Development Manager of cylindrical Li-ion cells for Saft. then has been Deputy Director of the Corporate Incubator until 2018, when he led as Technical Director, focusing on R&D and industrialization of next generation of Lithium-ion and Lithium Solid State batteries. In 2020, he became ACC chief Technical Officer, as the company was created. Since 2024, he is Chief Expertise Officer, creating and animating transversal expertise in ACC.

Jérémy BLANC holds an engineering degree in Electrical Energy Management from ENSI Poitiers (2020) and a PhD on « Battery State of Function for High Power Demanding Applications » from Nantes University (2024). Jérémy works for One-sixone since 2020, starting with research works and algorithms development. Since beginning 2024 Jérémy is Battery System Engineer working on predictive BMS and demanding battery system.

Emilie Bodoin is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO at Pure Lithium Corporation, a disruptive Boston based company established in late 2020 with Co-Founder and CSO, world renowned scientist and MIT Professor Emeritus Donald R. Sadoway. Pure Lithium is commercializing a next-generation lithium metal vanadium battery that can be entirely sourced in North America and other favorable jurisdictions. This disruptive technology eliminates graphite, nickel, cobalt and manganese.

Emilie is an inventor and successful entrepreneur with over 13 years of experience in lithium metal anode and next-generation battery development. Emilie has12 patents and patent applications. She served as an Entrepreneur in Residence for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Emilie is a frequent speaker at worldwide lithium and battery events, notably having spoken at the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia twice. Emilie serves as a Director of the Sadoway Labs Foundation, a Boston-based foundation focusing on extreme electrochemistry for deep decarbonization funded by Eric Schmidt, founder of Google.

Dr. Arnaud Bordes is a researcher at the French National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks (Ineris), specializing in the safety of electrochemical energy storage systems. He conducts small- to large-scale testing on lithium-ion batteries across various applications and contributes to research projects aimed at improving safety knowledge for current and emerging battery technologies. As lead of the technical support program for the French Ministry of Ecological Transition, he is actively involved in standards and regulatory development. He serves as France’s delegate on battery-related matters at the UN Sub-Committee on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and participates in automotive regulatory forums (GTR-EVS). He has also contributed to several post-incident investigations involving lithium battery failures in France.

Richard Bouveret has been the CEO & Chairman of Blue Solutions and Bluebus, both 100% subsidiaries of the Bolloré Group, since September 2022.

Richard is a connoisseur of vehicles and their lifecycles, an expert in mechatronics and electrification, and a specialist in cutting-edge technologies. He has a keen interest in all innovations in this sector.
Richard Bouveret joined the Bolloré Group at a pivotal moment for the Blue divisions: his mission is to make Blue Solutions and Bluebus leaders in the solid-state battery and electric bus markets. Richard Bouveret’s passion for cars began when he was a child, thanks to the automobile manufacturers’ manuals he inherited from his grandfather.

An engineering graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Nancy, he spent the last few decades with Valeo, then with the ZF Group, where he led talent and business development strategies, optimized the quality and costs of industrial operations, oversaw commercial transformations and steered merger and acquisition policies.

With over 28 years of international automotive experience, Richard is recognized as a passionate and pragmatic leader who focuses on talent to create, execute, and monitor disruptive strategies aimed at delivering unique selling propositions to ensure short and medium-term sustainable sales outperformance, positive incremental margin, the right level of cash conversion and the most effective talent retention plan.

Richard has accumulated a comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of the automotive sector. He is also highly visionary when it comes to structuring his business, thanks to his international experience in North America, Europe, Turkey, India, China, South-Korea, and Japan.

Elsa Briqueleur holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Montreal (Canada, UdeM). She has experience in electrochemistry and physicochemistry of inorganic materials for insertion batteries, as well as in electron transfer. Her professional experience has focused on the development of a photobattery (PhD) and on the recycling of graphite from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries (postdoctorate). This has allowed her to work with mild hydrometallurgy and the detailed physicochemistry of regenerated materials, as well as their performance in cells. She is currently a senior researcher in the Battery Raw Materials unit at Leitat, focusing on lithium recycling in the context of national and European projects.

Educated as a mechanical engineer in France & USA, Dominique has over 30 years of experience at Saint-Gobain, mainly in the Automotive sector. As the Global EV Market Manager for Saint-Gobain Tape Solutions and located in Germany, he has been closely involved in the xEV market expansion over the last decade. During this time, Dominique has championed the development of several high-performance solutions for EV battery pack gasketing, battery cell mechanical & thermal management, thermal runaway protection & battery cooling, starting all the way from the early EV packs and now powering the future models.  Adding to his previous role, Dominique is now also coordinating the activities across all global business units of Saint-Gobain involved in the EV battery value-chain, covering from minerals extraction all the way up to EV battery pack protection.

Dr. Robert Burrell is a Research Manager at Project Blue leading downstream coverage of the lithium-ion battery supply chain. A core focus of this is end-use demand and supply-side development, spanning EV sales projections through to regional battery recycling developments. Robert combines prior battery market research experience with his PhD in chemistry to develop forward-looking views of the evolving lithium-ion battery landscape. Project Blue provides market-leading intelligence on raw material supply chains for the energy
transition.

Olivier Callebert began his career in 1992 with the IFPEN group as a process engineer. He joined Axens when it was founded in 2001 as Head of the Process Design Group. He supervises numerous licensing process projects in the field of aromatics and FCC. From 2010 to 2014, he was responsible for recruitment and skills development. He then joined the Process Licensing Business Unit until 2021. In 2022 and 2023, Olivier is examining technology acquisition and custom development projects.

He joined the Macaron project as director of the industrial establishment project at the beginning of 2024.

Olivier is a graduate of Arts et Métiers ParisTech and IFP School. He is also Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Axens employee share ownership fund.

Nicolo` is a battery experienced professional. He supported tens of client around the world while working as an expert consultant for McKinsey and company. In 2021 he founded Battery Insights, a McKinsey solution (subsidiary) dedicated to support clients and develop insights for the battery industry. Since then he has been leading a team based in Korea, Europe and the USA, keeping fresh knowledge and models to support clients along the battery value chain. Before joining McKinsey he earned his PhD in electrochemistry between KU Leuven (Belgium) and MIT (USA), and is currently scientific collaborator at UC Louvain (Belgium) where he supports students researching in the fields of new anode and new electrolytes.

Arnaud Capgras works at KnowMade in the field of Materials Chemistry and Energy storage. He holds a Chemistry-Process Engineering Degree from the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering School of Lyon (CPE Lyon, France), and an International Industrial Property Studies Diploma (Patents) from the CEIPI (Strasbourg, France).

Dr Jennifer Channell is Head of Commercial at Anaphite, driving market adoption of their dry battery electrode technology. Formerly Innovation Lead for the UK Government’s Faraday Battery Challenge, she played a pivotal role in shaping the national battery landscape. Jennifer also serves as European Project Director for the Volta Foundation, championing global battery innovation through community. A recognised thought leader, she holds a PhD in Chemistry, is a Battery Ambassador for Battery Associates, and a professional member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and IOM3.

Shivangee is the Battery Cost analyst at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a leading provider of supply chain intelligence for lithium ion batteries. She analyses lithium ion battery production costs and their interaction with market trends and forecasts. She holds a Master’s in Finance from Imperial College London and is currently pursuing the CFA Charter.

Dr Benoit Chavillon holds a PhD in chemistry of materials and is working in energy fields since 15 years.

He was research engineer for 10 years in primary and secondary battery and works on different subject as primary thionyl chloride cell, NiZn, LiS, Li-ion, supercapacitors and focused on different battery technology as gen 3 to 5.

He is now leading the prototype and process development laboratory for battery cells at CEA, a group that works on R&D to increase the lifespan of cells, increase their performance and move towards the lowest possible environmental footprint.

Maher acted in Global and EMEA Senior Executive Leadership roles within large Corporates (GE Digital, SAP, Cap Gemini) as well as successful startups (accenta.ai), Digital, AI and Data Science, Energy, Telecommunications, Manufacturing, Mobility & Cleantech (Renewables, Batteries & BESS, Green Hydrogen, Green Ammonia, Smart Cities, Smart Building, Geo-Storage, EV Charging, Carbon Management). He is currently Managing Director for Europe at Univers.

Maher technology areas of expertise are in AI, ML, AIOT, Data Science, Blockchain, SaaS, PaaS and Cyber Security.

Maher have been a co-founder of the European SmartGrids Technology Platform of the EC and President of ESMIG (European Smart Metering Industry Group). He is currently member of the Council of Engineers for Energy Transition of UN (CEET) and is chairing the digital batteries task force at Batteries Europe. Maher is also a non-Executive Board member of Elisa, Telecom operator of Finland.

Maher holds a PhD degree (MinesParisTech), a Masters of Engineering in Automation & Data Science and a degree in Leading Global Businesses (HBS).

Jean-Luc Cialdini is the CEO of EasylZinc, a French company specializing in the production of active materials and additives for rechargeable zinc batteries.

Jean-Luc is an international leader that worked and lived in Asia, USA and across Europe to bring new technologies and create strategic partnerships in the battery ecosystem. His last 12 years have been in international companies that produce active materials and additives for lithium-ion batteries. Jean-Luc has obtained his MBA from Columbia University of New York with a strong emphasis in Finance and M&A.

Hubert Clément is Vice President at Capgemini Invent, responsible for Gigafactories activities in France. He supports the country’s major gigafactory projects through their critical construction and ramp-up phases.

Nicolas Cottereau has more than two decades of experience supporting engineering customers in high-tech industries. At Maplesoft, an emerging leader in advanced engineering modeling and simulation, Nicolas focuses on building strategic partnerships and connecting new and existing industry voices around Maplesoft’s portfolio of engineering solutions and services. Working with roll-to-roll suppliers and manufacturers of automotive, batteries and packaging products, Nicolas is a respected authority on engineering business development, presenting on digital twins, automation, and modeling and simulation in support of process and product development.

Gaetan Damblanc is a seasoned Product Manager specializing in e-mobility applications at Siemens Industry Software, with over 12 years of technical expertise in battery modeling.

Dr. Florian Dauber, is the head of digitalization and specialist for AI at the Voltavision Battery testing laboratorys. completing his PhD in mechanical engineering at the Ruhr University Bochum, Dr. Florian Dauber gained extensive experience in project and digitalization management. In the years that followed, he led digitalization, software and product development projects at renowned companies such as STEAG and iqony. These projects prepared him for his new challenge in the field of digitalization of battery testing at Voltavision GmbH.

Alfredo Davila is a mechatronics engineer with five years of experience as a data engineer and software developer, specializing in the integration of QuinLogic’s Quality Execution System for diverse customers. He currently works in technical sales, committed to understanding and solving customer needs through tailored solutions.

Shmuel De-Leon, Founder and CEO of Shmuel De-Leon Energy Ltd., is a leading international expert in the business of energy storage. Prior to founding the company, for over 21 years, Shmuel held various positions as an energy storage, electronic engineering, and quality control team manager. Shmuel holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Tel Aviv University, and an M.B.A. in Quality Control and Reliability Engineering from the Technion Institute in Haifa, as well as an Electronic Technician’s diploma.

Air Liquide is a world leader in gases, technologies and services for industry and health. Guillaume is in charge of the strategy and the marketing for the automotive market. He coordinates actions between battery ecosystem, R&D and operations to bring innovative added value solutions to customers. In an open innovation mode, Air Liquide aims at better understanding industrial gas impact on battery quality and sustainability. He graduated from EDHEC business school. He has experience in sales, marketing and strategy in both automotive and industrial gases business.

Arnaud Delaille earned his Ph.D. in electrochemistry from the University of Paris 6 in 2006, with a specialization in Battery Management System (BMS) indicators. He served as a Project Manager at CEA-Liten, the French National Research Center for New Energy Technologies, for seven years, before becoming Head of its laboratory dedicated to the characterization, modeling, and management of various battery technologies—a position he held for four years. In 2017, he co-founded PowerUp, where he currently serves as Chief Scientific & Innovation Officer (CSIO), leading the Innovation Team.

Matthieu Desbois-Renaudin graduated as Mechanical Engineer in INSA Lyon with a minor in business & innovation development. He completed his studies with a MSc in System optimization. He worked at IFSTTAR for hybrid powertrain optimization with Valeo. Joined in 2004 the advanced engineering division of Bosch in Lyon, where he designed optimized electro-hydraulic solutions for various customers. One of his patents lead to a successful product development which has been sold in 1 000 000 units since its launch. In 2008, he joined the CEA Liten where he lead several projects for lithium Battery packs in automotive application. From 2013, he lead the service for system integration of batteries and fuel cells at CEA Liten. In 2018, he created WATTALPS, as CEO, with 2 partners to bring to the market high performance and modular battery systems.

Daniel M. Deschodt is 57 years old. He graduated from French International Management School in  Lille, France and Lincoln University in San Francisco, USA.

He started his career in an Asset –Based Intermodal Marketing Company as International Development  Director based in Paris region.

Daniel moved to the stevedoring industry by joining the container terminal operator in Dunkirk,  France.

Daniel is now working with Port of Dunkirk Authority as Deputy CEO and CCO. He is in charge of  marketing, industry, logistics and maritime route developments, PR & communication as well as  contracts management.

Daniel is a British Honorary Consul (since March 2010) and French International Trade Advisor. (CCEF).

Damien Despinoy is the co-founder and CEO of Volexion. A seasoned Chemical Engineer with an INSEAD MBA, Damien has 20+ years of experience in scaling-up innovations in Energy and Materials. Prior to
joining Volexion, Damien led the design, construction, commissioning of multiple large infrastructure projects in the Energy Industry. He later held leadership positions for Management Consulting Firm McKinsey and Company and Venture Capital firm Earth Foundry

As a final-year Ph.D. researcher, Raymonda DIAB specializes in Li-ion battery fast-charging technologies, working collaboratively across One-sixone, IREENA (Institut de Recherche en Énergie Électrique de Nantes Atlantique) and IMN (Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel). Her research integrates electrochemistry and battery modeling to address critical challenges in energy storage and charging dynamics.

She holds a dual degree in Mechanical Engineering and Energy Sciences, awarded jointly by Nantes Université and the Lebanese University, which has provided her with a strong technical foundation for tackling interdisciplinary problems in energy systems.

Yves Simeon Doessant works in ANDRITZ Sovema as Sales Manager of the product line focused on equipment for lithium-ion cell production. With an educational background in biology and foreign languages, Yves joined the company in 2014 after many years spent as University Professor. In the first few years, he worked as Sales Manager of our power electronics product line; then, he added Sovema lead-acid battery equipment to his portfolio, and since 2020 he has been in charge of the business development for li-ion cell assembly and formation equipment.

Mickael Dollé, Professor Courtois Research Chair at Institut Courtois, Co-director of the characterization platform of electrochemical systems MAPLES Université de Montréal Scientific Advisor Ignis Lithium.

Dr. Hui Dong is the R&D Manager of Energy Storage at Ingevity Corporation, a global leader in the manufacturing and supply of specialty materials for emissions control in the automotive industry, where he leads the development of advanced battery materials. Dr. Dong has accumulated over 10 years of experience in various battery technologies. He holds both a PhD and a Postdoctoral fellowship in electrochemistry, having published numerous research papers in prestigious journals such as Nature Energy. Throughout his career, Dr. Dong has gained extensive experience across various sectors of the battery industry, including upstream lithium supply at Albemarle Corporation, midstream battery manufacturing at Our Next Energy, and downstream applications at Rivian Automotive.

Dr. Simon Engelke is the Founder & Chair of Battery Associates. Simon completed his Ph.D. on Lithium-ion batteries at the University of Cambridge. He is the recipient of multiple awards including the Trinity Bradfield Prize and Cambridge University Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Simon has been invited to speak at various events, including the European Battery Show, UN Climate Change Conference (COP25), IAA Mobility, FT Future of the Car Summit, and the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. He served as Co-Curator of the WEF Strategic Intelligence for Future of Energy and Batteries and as Fellow of the WEF Global Future Council on Energy Technologies.

Daniel Fischer is an experienced professional in the field of functional specialty papers with a focus on battery technologies. While looking of a wide experience in both, Operations and Technology, in his career, he currently works at delfort, a leading company in the development and production of specialized paper solutions. In his role, he plays a key part in the development and marketing of IonPort®, a fiber-based separator solution for secondary batteries, aimed at enhancing both the performance and sustainability of battery systems. Mr. Fischer is actively engaged in the industry and regularly presents delfort’s latest innovations at international conferences and trade fairs, contributing to the advancement of sustainable and future-proof battery technologies.

Dr. Benoit Fleutot is a Lead Researcher at CETEES, Hydro-Québec, for the past six years. He is responsible for the development and strategic advancement of all-solid-state sulfide ceramic technology. He leads the lithium metal electrochemistry and testing platform. With a Ph.D. in Electrochemistry and Solid-State Chemistry from the University of Bordeaux, Dr. Benoit Fleutot brings deep expertise in battery materials and systems.

Prior to joining Hydro-Québec, he served as a Lecturer at the LRCS, University of Amiens, and was the coordinator of the “Li-ion Battery & Benchmarking” module within the Erasmus Mundus MESC+ master’s program.

He is a co-inventor on more than 15 patent applications and has co-authored numerous scientific publications, including a book on all-solid-state batteries.

Dr. Benoit Fleutot is recognized for his contributions to the field of next-generation energy storage and continues to play a key role in bridging fundamental research with industrial innovation.

A world renowned inventor, Dr Yuan Gao has 30 years of experience in the complete supply chain of lithium-ion battery industry, from lithium extraction to batteries. One of his inventions, the Ti/Mg technology, enables high voltage lithium-ion batteries and is being practiced today in a vast majority of lithium-ion batteries for small portable electronics such as smart phones and tablets.

Dr Yuan Gao joined Pulead Technology in May 2014 and had served as its President and CEO until Sept 2019. Currently he is serving on the Board of Directors of Lithium Americas Corporation, as well as the Boards of Advisors of Nano One, Mitra Chem and Pure Lithium while advising Cobco, a cathode precursor producer in Morocco. Previously Dr Gao served as a Corporate Vice President at Molycorp (USA), and a Global Marketing Director and Technology Manager, as well as in other management positions at FMC Corporation Lithium Division, the predecessor to Livent (USA) and today Acardium Lithium.

Dr Gao received his BSc from the University of Science and Technology of China, and his PhD in Physics from the University of British Columbia in Canada. He received his postdoc training from Professor Jeff Dahn’s lab at Simon Fraser University. He has also received Executive Education from The Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania in the USA.

Jana Gatz has a strong professional background in quality management and process development. Currently, she works as a research associate at Fraunhofer IKTS since October 2023.

Previously, she held leadership positions in quality at Blackstone Technology, VonArdenne GmbH, and thyssenkrupp, where she led development projects, implemented quality assurance systems, and developed specific methods for the industry.

Dr. Caroline Gaya has obtained after an Engineering degree in Energy Storage, a PhD in electrochemical engineering. Working for several years in aeronautical field as Thermal Project leader she has now joined Ineris as a project leader, conducting several research projects and supporting industrial clients along technical studies. She is now also involved in the office in charge of Emergency Response in France (CASU) and had participated to several post-accident studies involving batteries.

Javier Gazzarri is a Consulting Application Engineer at MathWorks, where he has worked for 14 years. Most of his work is on battery modeling and simulation, from cell- to system-level, parameter estimation for model correlation, impedance spectroscopy, battery management system algorithm development, thermal management, aging, state estimation, model reduction and artificial intelligence. Before joining MathWorks, Javier worked on fuel cell modeling at the National Research Council of Canada in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina), a master’s degree (inverse methods for sensor design), and a PhD degree (solid oxide fuel cell degradation and impedance spectroscopy) both from the University of British Columbia (Canada).

Ravi GEHLOT is Business Development Manager – Solid State Batteries || New Business Incubation at Umicore since 2022.

Guillaume has started in Research & Development in 2005 at VonRoll France SA and then moved in 2020 to Application Engineering department, where he managed technical support to Sales Team. Since the acquisition of VonRoll by Elantas in August 2023, he became Technology Manager in the EMobility team, focusing on direct technical support to automotive customers from EMEA & South Asia regions. He has a strong background in formulation (Polyurethane, Epoxy,…) and support customers with technical recommendations, testing and implementation of appropriate processes for all Elantas resin ranges.

She has extensive experience in the optimisation of biotechnological processes and their application to the treatment of by-products and the removal of organic pollutants.

She has worked for more than 15 years on the production of biogas from agri-food by- products through biomethanisation, both at the University and in the private sector.

Since 2023, she has been a Researcher in Biohydrometallurgy in the Electrical Energy Storage Department of the CIIAE. The projects she is involved in aim to develop biological treatments to recover the critical metals present in end-of-life batteries, thus generating new raw materials that can be reintroduced into the market.

As the CEO and Chairman, I am navigating the company through a period of rapid growth, always keeping a keen eye on both the strategic horizon and the immediate needs of her team. I am still frequently technical involved and committed as the initiator/sponsor of the HYCEMA project.

Alex is a co-founder and Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of Echion Technologies Ltd. He is responsible for the technology vision, the industrialisation of Echion products and strategic development and direction of the business.

Echion Technologies was spun out of the Engineering Department at the University of Cambridge in 2017. Alex has been instrumental in the growth of the business from its early days.  He is excited by disruptive innovation and the challenge presented by the decarbonisation of transport and tackling climate change.  He is a keen implementer of rapid change and brings that energy and mindset to his role at Echion.

Alex holds an MChem from the University of Sheffield, and a PhD in Materials Chemistry from the University of Cambridge.  He is further associated with the Royal Academy of Engineering and is a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Didier Guillonnet is the CEO and Co-Founder of AZA Battery, a leader in the development of electrically rechargeable zinc-air batteries. His diverse career, spanning software development, digital electronics, and biological research, laid the groundwork for his innovative contributions to technology.

At AZA Battery, his leadership since 2008 has been pivotal in creating a safer, more cost-effective, and eco-friendly alternative to traditional lead acid and lithium batteries. The zinc-air batteries developed under his guidance offer low energy storage costs and utilize materials that are abundant worldwide, making them ideal for stationary storage, load shifting, and backup power in the context of intermittent renewable electricity production.

Formerly, as the founder and CEO of BCG Production in Armenia, he specialized in producing high-purity sapphire crystals for the scientific and laser industries.

Guillonnet’s technical and entrepreneurial achievements are underpinned by his engineering education at Centrale Supélec, which has significantly shaped his impactful career. His expertise and forward-thinking approach to energy storage will be a key asset at the upcoming Battery Event, promising valuable insights into the future of energy solutions.

Markus Hackmann is the managing director of P3 and responsible for the area of e-mobility. After completing his engineering studies at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, he joined P3 in 2006 and has since been working on numerous projects in the field of e-mobility technology strategies, lithium-ion batteries and the charging of electric vehicles. Since a few years and with the breakthrough of electric mobility, numerous projects with utilities, grid operators have been added. Likewise, Markus and the P3 work with numerous investors on the topic of technical due diligence. The P3 e-mobility team currently consists of over 200 consulting engineers.

Dr. Manan Haq is a researcher and innovator with a background in aerospace engineering and energy storage technologies. His work bridges advanced materials science with sustainable battery development, focusing on zinc-based systems for stationary applications. At Hilabs, he leads efforts to commercialize organic, locally sourced battery solutions that support circular economy principles. With a strong foundation in high-performance systems and renewable energy, Manan is committed to enabling safer, greener, and scalable energy infrastructure beyond lithium.

Dr. Srirama Hariharan serves as a Technology Solutions Consultant at Honeywell, where he is driving digital transformation in gigafactories throughout the EMEA region. He holds a Ph.D. in battery technology and an MBA in Strategy & Innovation, bringing over 15 years of expertise across research and development, as well as pilot and production phases. His current focus at Honeywell is on promoting advancements in digital manufacturing within gigafactories.

Philippe Hatron, who holds a master’s degree in finance from the University of Rouen and an Executive MBA from Georgetown University (USA), began his career in 1988 with Price Waterhouse, becoming Manager in 1993. In 1995, he joined COGEMA’s Finance Department.

In February 1998, he was appointed Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of Transnuclear, Inc. in the United States.

In 2001, still in the United States, he was appointed CFO of the Nuclear Measurements Business Unit, where he was also in charge of Human Resources from 2003 to 2005. In 2006, he became Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of AREVA North America.

In 2008, Philippe Hatron was appointed Vice President, AREVA Audit.

In 2012, he was appointed Senior Vice President, Mining and Front End Sales, deputy to the Executive Vice President, in charge of Sales.

In 2016, based in Beijing, Philippe Hatron was appointed Director China, Taiwan and South Korea for the Orano group.

Since September 2024, he has been Executive Vice President Battery Program of Orano group.

Susanna Holappa is a Senior Scientist in Kemira R&I. She obtained her PhD degree in Polymer chemistry from University of Helsinki in 2005. She continued in academic research in the Aalto University in the field of colloid chemistry in papermaking applications. Since 2010 she has been working for Kemira. Her expertise area is polymer and polyelectrolyte development for several applications utilizing aqueous based polymers.

Mr. Luke Hu co-founded Electroder, a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer specializing in battery cell design and development. He is currently focusing on building the company’s global business and advising Electroder’s clients on planning and executing battery electrode and cell assembly development projects.

Mr. Hu has been leading his team completing various cell R&D projects, developing advanced software tools, and building new cell development process. Under his leadership, Electroder joined the Global Battery Alliance as its first member focusing on battery design and development in 2022.

Mr. Hu had two decades of experience in manufacturing and technology, and held a variety of management roles globally. He graduated with an MBA degree from Cornell University and a bachelor’s degree of engineering from Beijing University of Technology.

Viktor Irle is a marketing analyst. He founded E3 Volumes in 2015, ais a global market intelligence platform for the electric vehicle industry, which delivers consultancy services in the auto industry.

Grégoire is a graduate of Ecole Normale Supérieure, with a physicist background. He then worked in the private sector in different positions spanning from innovation to marketing. He joined Imerys in 2013 as the Global Marketing Manager for the Calcium Carbonate division. In 2020, he had been asked to investigate the potential of the Beauvoir deposit as a credible source of lithium. Now in 2025, as the R&D lithium projects director, he is reflecting on the innovations that made it a reality.

Jakub Kącki has been with UL Solutions for 20 years. He is the global Business Development Manager focused on battery business (portable, wearable, micromobility, battery cells), global market access and AI services within the Consumer, Medical and Information Technology division at UL Solutions. He works with internal and external stakeholders to drive the development of advisory, evaluation, testing, certification and regulatory services and programs for batteries, information technology equipment, consumer electronics, micromobility and more.

Dr. Frank Kindermann is leading NIO’s Battery System development in Europe out of Munich, Germany. He and his team in Europe cover a range of activities from software development to technology scouting. While the main focus is on battery monitoring and function development for the battery management system (on-board as well as in the cloud), he and his team also address hardware topics from cell analysis to recycling.

Frank has a background in electrical engineering from Technical University of Munich, where he spent his entire academic career. Prior to joining NIO, Frank was working in cell development and application at a German premium OEM. His focus on batteries started more than 14 years ago.

Dr.-Ing. Jonathan Krauß is a leading expert in the digitalization of battery cell production, bridging the gap between research and industry. As head of digitalization at Fraunhofer FFB, he is responsible for transforming entire factory ecosystems with cutting-edge digital solutions. With a track record of over 50 industry projects – both publicly and privately funded – and dozens of published papers, he combines deep technical expertise with hands-on experience in real-world manufacturing. He will share key insights on how digital innovation is shaping the future of battery production – efficient, scalable, and ready for the challenges of tomorrow.

Patrick Kreutzer was working for over 20 years in the field of Industrial Automation as senior vice president for one of the leading industrial automation companies in the world before he entered Donaldson Inc. some years ago. He is experienced, next to Industrial Automation and Condition Monitoring, in Filtration technology of
lube oil systems, diesel oil systems, fuel systems and transformer Oil systems with a special focus and Experience on Emergency GenSet for mission critical installations.

This business case presentation is a joint effort with our customer, showcasing their experience with our next-generation regenerative high-voltage, high-power battery pack testers, powered by cutting-edge SiC power electronics technology.

Olivier Kueny is a Senior Loan Officer in the Project & Structured Finance department at the EIB, where he is covering Project Finance activities, notably in relation to EV Battery Gigafactories, Battery Energy Storage Systems, CRM value chain and renewables in Western Europe. He notably led the EIB structuring and lending teams on the Verkor gigafactory in Dunkirk and AESC one in Douai. Previously, Olivier worked as Senior PPP Specialist at the Asian Development Bank in Manila advising Central Asian Governments on PPPs; Chief Investment Officer at AMEA Power in Dubai developing power projects in Africa and Asia and Director in Project Finance at HSBC in Dubai and London. Before his MBA, he was an Operations Manager in an EDF nuclear power plant in France. Olivier has an MBA from London Business School and is an engineer from Mines Paris – PSL.

Patrick Lamprecht is responsible for the strategic development of the business in the fields of thermal processing of battery active materials and black mass recycling. In close collaboration with the Chinese joint venture partner Kilnpartner, he supports the battery industry on a global basis in producing sustainable and high-performance batteries, as well as closing the loop through efficient recycling solutions. Lamprecht holds a Master’s degree in Economics and brings extensive international experience in business development and key account management across various industries, most recently in the field of IoT technologies at Freeeway AG, which he applies in his current role.

Emmanuelle Lancelle-Beltran has a PhD in Material Chemistry as background. She has 27-year R&D industry experience, including 19 years in Automotive Battery System R&D.

Dr. Lancelle-Beltran joined the Groupe PSA/STELLANTIS in 2006 in the Research & Development Division with different technical & management positions in battery development field.

Since 2022, she has been appointed to her current position as Senior Team Manager for cell advanced engineering & BMS innovations within the Tech Research department of Stellantis.

Guillaume Lecocq holds a PhD in Energetics, which was dedicated to CFD modeling of combustion in spark-ignition engines. He’s been working in Ineris for more than 10 years, with an activity based on modeling and experimental campaigns with a focus on gas explosion.

Technology and Business development experience for 37 years, including 24 years of Samsung SDI
(Korea Company) Li-ion battery for mobile and electric car, 6 years of Morgan Advanced Materials
(UK company) specialty carbon and ceramic materials products for semiconductor and rechargeable
battery, and Professor at Kyonggi University, Suwon, Korea, for 7 years. Founded LEMON ENERGY
Inc. for Li-ion battery anode and cathode materials development. Academic background for doctor
degree in material science and engineering, master degree in Physics from Hanyang University,
Seoul, Korea and MBA degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; RPI, New York, USA.

Since April 2024, Prof. Dr. Susanne Lehner is a Full Professor at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, focusing on electrochemical energy storage and energy management systems.

Prior to this, from August 2020 to March 2024, she was Head of Technology Development at MAN Energy Solutions SE in Augsburg, Germany, overseeing R&D and technology readiness processes. From May 2017 to July 2020, she led the Hybrids & Batteries division at the same company, managing the development of hybrid and battery systems in the R&D department.

Engineer in electrochemistry with Ph.D. in Solid State Chemistry from Bordeaux University on Li-ion cathode materials. Joined Umicore Corporate R&D in 2002 as R&D Project manager on battery materials. Moved to Rechargeable Battery Materials division in 2006 to start and grow NMC product development and automotive and stationary storage businesses. Since 2012, developed battery related venturing activities, launching LFP industrialization and spin-out (2012-2016), developing medium Ni high voltage concept (2014-2018), orchestrating monolithic NMC development and Mn rich NMC revival (2017-2022), developing SSB and Na-ion product lines or launching Si anode industrialization and spin-out (2018-2024). Now in charge of innovation & venturing for Umicore Battery Materials division.

Alessio Mariani has over 29 years of experience in the energy industry, holding various executive roles at Eos Energy Enterprises, Inc., Baker Hughes, and GE Oil & Gas. His experience includes running worldwide commercial operations,  global accounts, leading strategic partnerships, and global assignments in Japan and Russia & CIS as regional leadership. Alessio Mariani is a certified Mechanical Engineer from the University of Florence.

Alessio loves sailing, flying and spending time with his family.

Valentine Menuet is Head of Sustainability and Circular Economy at LCIE Bureau Veritas. A specialist in environmental regulations applied to electrical and electronic equipment, she supports manufacturers through monitoring, auditing, training, and certification. She is Bureau Veritas’ lead expert on European battery regulation and a member of the UF 111 Standardization Committee (Environment for Electrical and Electronic Equipment). Valentine frequently speaks at events in France and abroad. Previously, she coordinated the certification of charging stations for electric vehicles (EV READY/ZE READY for Renault) and spent ten years as an environmental regulation expert, focusing on hazardous substances, end-of-life product management, ecodesign, and energy labeling.

After spending 8 years in the Semiconductor industry, Christophe moved to Lithium Ion battery business in 2009. He first started by setting up then managed the battery cell pilot line at the CEA.

In 2011, Tesla hired him to build a small cell manufacturing line and then produced the first prototype cells in-house with his team. He also actively contributed to ramping up Module production lines for the Model S and Model X vehicles and paving the path for Model 3. Christophe also worked on a range of mechanical cell designs, developed innovative manufacturing processes, and led the phase 1 layout design of the first gigafactory in Reno, Nevada.

He subsequently moved to Apple, then BMW, still working on cell and module engineering and development. Christophe finally co-founded Verkor and took the role of Chief Technology Officer for the first 5 years then recently moved to the role of Executive Technology Advisor to the CEO and the management team.

Ines Miller is an Associate Partner and currently leading the Battery and Cell Technology team at P3. Her work spans from development projects, technical and commercial assessments, strategic consulting as well as due diligences, supporting clients across the entire battery value chain. Ines is an expert in current and next-generation battery technologies and operates on a global scale, with a focus on Europe, North America, and Asia. Her clients include automotive OEMs, Tier X suppliers, finance and investment firms, as well as companies from non-automotive industries. Before working for P3, Ines has gained her Master’s degree in Business Chemistry at the University of Ulm.

Born 10.03.1982 in Moers, Germany.

Diploma in chemistry at the Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf in 2008.

Afterwards start of the doctoral thesis “Tribological and surface analytical measurements on the reaction mechanism of forming additives” in the surface science lab of
ThyssenKrupp Steel in Dortmund. Graduated with a Dr. rer. nat. from the University of Paderborn in 2018.

Research in the field of zinc-air flow batteries and flow batteries in general at the University Duisburg-Essen from 2013 to 2022.

Since April 2022 project manager rechargeable zinc batteries at GRILLO.

With over a decade of experience in battery cell manufacturing, I have worked with a leading Japanese manufacturer on cutting-edge projects across the US and EU.

For the past two years, I’ve been working as a Project Manager in Battery Testing at MARPOSS, driving innovation in this rapidly evolving sector.

Patrick PÉLATA, after 5 years of research, joined the Renault group in 1984 in manufacturing and, later, in engineering. He left for Japan in 1999 as Nissan Board member and global EVP in charge of Design, Products, and Programs. He returned to Renault in 2005 and became Deputy CEO in 2008.

Since 2002, he has been involved in the study of the decarbonization of road mobility, first in Nissan, then in Renault where he drove Renault’s electric vehicle program announced in 2009.

In 2012, he became Chief Automobile Officer of Salesforce in San Francisco. From 2018, he has been operating Meta Strategy Consulting from Paris.

He is also a director of Safran (aeronautics), Orano (nuclear), Vulog (car-sharing platform).

He is a graduate of the École Polytechnique and the École des Ponts-ParisTech and holds a PhD in socio economics from Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales.

He is married with four daughters.

Fellow chartered Engineer with +30 years of expertise in the overall industrial activities, Christian Perrier demonstrates solid cross-cultural skills. He has held various positions in the high-tech industries such as medical device, diagnostics and microelectronics. Initially within the Clean and Dry room activity as an end user, then maintenance and operations management. In 2014 Christian has switched to current position as solutions provider for end customers.

Dedicated since all those years to developing turnkey solutions for the high-tech industries, Christian has shown good records in large scale projects across Europe and beyond. Christian has leveraged those skills to bring solid industrial and technical expertise in the successful development of Li-ion batteries Gigafactories since this business started moving back to Europe, 6 – 7 years ago. Christian has therefore become a leading expert in Li-ion batteries Gigafactories design, all trades.

Alexis Pétain has been part of the CRITT M2A group since 2017. He began his career as an engineer responsible for the design and integration of new test equipment. Based on this experience, he developed and managed the Safety and Abuse battery testing — a strategic area in the context of the rapid growth of electric mobility.

Recently appointed as a battery certification testing expert, Alexis Pétain now plays a key role in supporting manufacturers in bringing their products into compliance. He leads the CRITT M2A battery certification laboratory, which is internationally recognized under the CB Scheme, a global certification program for electrical and electronic products.

Martin PETIT obtained his PhD in chemical engineering of INPL in 2011. He joined IFPEN battery modelling team as an electrochemical engineer in 2012 and has contributed to the development of electrical storage systems models for system simulation in automotive applications. He takes part in the development of modelling approaches from empirical to electrochemical models, accounting for the nominal behaviour of cells in experimental and realistic environments as well as their aging behaviour; Since 2012 he is involved also in the development of Li-ion batteries safety models at cell and pack levels. Between 2020 and 2023, Martin was the coordinator of MODALIS² H2020 project dedicated to the development of a modelling toolchain for Gen3b and Gen4 batteries behaviour.

Christophe has built up considerable expertise in the area of battery market. He joined AVICENNE 30 years ago and spent 3 years in Japan making analysis on the Electronic, Mobile Japanese battery market. Christophe gained large experience in marketing, strategy analysis, technology and financial studies for the battery and power management fields.

He developed the Battery market analysis for AVICENNE which counts more than 300 customers worldwide. Christophe publishes annual study « The rechargeable battery market trend”.

Christophe is now Director of AVICENNE ENERGY.

He has also been founder chairman of Batteries Event in France since 1999.

Engineer with 20+ years experience in industry, mainly as R&D manager at automotive OEMs.

With focus on powertrain development & light-commercial vehicles customer requirements.

Rafael Ponce, graduated in 1994 from HES : School of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg, Switzerland, as a civil engineer specialized in water technology.

He started his career as business engineer and project engineer in Switzerland before he joined the Lyonnaise des Eaux, France in 2001.

After spending 15 years for Lyonnaise des Eaux and 5 years for Suez (including around 13 years in Dunkirk), Rafael Ponce moved to the community sector by joining the Urban Community of Dunkirk as Deputy General Director for Economy and Attractivity in 2021. In addition, he is General Manager of ÉcosystèmeD since 2022.

Noura perused her Ph.D. in Electrochemistry at the LRCS laboratory at Université de Picardie Jules Verne, where she worked on the development of iron-based electrolytes for redox flow batteries. Aware of the environmental challenges brought forth by the energetic transition and its ponding drive for technological advancement, she decided to move into Life Cycle Assessment and joined WeLOOP to work on projects in the battery and EEE fields.

Sriram Ramanoudjame has been serving as the Chief Marketing Officer at Blue Solutions, a subsidiary of the Bolloré Group and the leading global manufacturer and designer of Solid-State Batteries, since 2022.

Product marketing, strategic communication and sustainability are at the forefront of his role. With a commitment in crafting a greener blueprint for the future of the automotive industry, Sriram builds and directs teams able to integrate market, customers and technical trends into actionable innovations and marketing strategies while aiming for minimal to neutral impact on the environment. Known for his excellent communication skills, his expertise lies in initiating, piloting and/or facilitating complex and strategic projects with cross-functional and cross-regional teams, ensuring streamlined execution and impactful results.

Sriram’s international journey spans across various locations including France, the United States, India, Japan, and Malaysia. Prior to joining Blue Solutions, he held the position of Marketing & Innovations Director at Valeo, a renowned automotive equipment supplier, where he served in multiple roles over 10 years, gaining extensive experience worldwide and bringing innovations in the E.V. fields to a reality.

At Blue Solutions, Sriram’s primary mission is to establish strong and sustainable partnerships, ensuring the long-term growth of the business, while adapting to the evolving demands of the market and the competitive regulatory environment.

Enzo’s extensive experience has given him a solid background in finance and political science. He first worked with Verkor as a consultant for a few months to help the company on capital fundraising. He is now Chief of Staff & Head of Financing.

Lukas Ridikas, initially born in France and now living in Austria, is a young passionate about energy production and storage technologies and sustainable development. With an academic background in Materials Science and Energy Engineering from Birmingham and Karlsruhe, he
has pursued his professional career, working as a laboratory assistant and engineer in different fields related to the energy industry. He now works for the company KILNTECK, located in Vienna, as internal operations manager.

Jan Rocnik is a Team Leader for Strategy and Business Development at AVL, the leading mobility technology companies for development, simulation and testing in the automotive industry, and in other sectors. He brings more than six years of global experience in product management and business development for battery testing.

Aleksandra holds a Master’s in Analytical Chemistry and is currently completing her PhD. At ElevenEs, she leads a team that ensures the quality and performance of battery materials through cutting-edge R&D and oversees the technical aspects of the supply chain.

With a focus on the development and optimization of lithium-ion batteries, Aleksandra’s work is essential for driving sustainable energy innovations and contributing to the growth of Europe’s battery production industry.

Christian has nearly 15 years of experience in the battery value chain as M&A and Commercial Director for Johnson Matthey Battery Materials and Business Development Manager Battery Solutions for SGL Carbon. Christian completed two Master studies and holds a degree in
Economics from university of Essen and a degree in Industrial Chemistry from university of Münster, where he specialized in Batteries at MEET institute. He also worked at BASF and Evonik for several years during his studies. Beside Chem4Batteries Christian holds a Battery Advisiory role at Roland Berger.

Virginie Russ is a senior executive with extensive international experience in the Automotive and EVs battery materials industries. She has held key management positions in Global companies such as Johnson MaƩhey/EVMetals, VALEO, Montupet and Visteon. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated strong expertise in business development, sales strategy, and commercial negotiations, with a proven track record of driving growth, building strategic partnership, and leading multicultural teams across Europe, the US and Asia. Recognized for her leadership, negotiation skills, and ability to establish innovative business models she has developed customer relationships at the highest level. She has extensive experience building commercial teams and working with global automotive OEMs, and Tier 1 battery cells suppliers, on development and commercialization of advanced materials in powertrain technologies. She has an engineering master degree from ESTP Paris (Ecole Spéciale des Travaux Publics) and MBA degree in Quality and Strategy from ESCP Europe.

Domien Schatteman is a high-calibre Sales and Business Development Specialist with a Master of Science in Bioscience Engineering and 10+ years of international experience in the chemical and metals industries, currently serving as Strategic Sales Manager at Indaver, driving sustainable solutions in the solvents sector.

Dr. Mauro Sgroi, has more than 20-years long corporate research experience on electrochemical energy storage systems maturated at Centro Ricerche FIAT (now Stellantis Group). He was involved in more than 8 European projects on battery materials and was the coordinator of an Italian research project. Mauro joined the university of Torino in 2022 and is responsible for the research activities on batteries.

In particular he is the principal investigator for the Stellar European project “Safe, sustainable and high-troughput production of reliable lithium metal anodes for GEN 4B/4C/5 batteries” and he is the coordinator of the proof of concept project INES “Idruri Nanostrutturati per Elettroliti solidi”, funded by “Compagnia di San Paolo”.

Salil Soman is the Vice President of Business Development at Feon Energy, Inc., a Boston Area company working on disruptive new electrolytes for Lithium batteries.

Prior to joining Feon, Soman was Vice President of Business Development at Sepion Technologies and Natron Energy, where he led corporate business development activities in several $multi-billion markets including e-mobility, datacenter, telecom, electric forklift, and stationary grid storage. Previously at ZincFive, he was in-charge of strategic marketing and commercialization of Nickel-Zinc battery products as their Vice President of Product Marketing.

Soman carries nearly 25 years of experience across multiple battery technologies, and in the past, has spent several years in key engineering management positions at BASF Corporation (formerly, Ovonic Battery Company) and at Robert Bosch Battery Systems, the largest tier-1 supplier to major automotive manufacturers worldwide.

He holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, and an MBA in Technology Management from the University of Colorado. A private pilot, Mr. Soman enjoys his weekends exploring California’s deserts, mountains and coastline with family and friends, when it’s time to recharge his own batteries.

Anna Sosnowik joined Ascend Elements in July 2022 to lead the company’s European and UK business development activities, bringing over 10 years of experience in the lithium-ion battery industry. Prior to joining Ascend Elements, Anna spent 9 years at Johnson Matthey as Head of Business Development, Sales/Marketing and Strategy in the Lithium-Ion Battery Division. She held responsibilities for product development and both the technical and commercial strategies to extend Johnson Matthey Battery’s leadership position into different lithium-ion battery industry segments. Before joining Johnson Matthey, she spent 8 years in the automotive industry in several commercial, project development and purchasing positions for global OEM customers and tier 1 suppliers, including Delphi and Group Plastivaloire. She began her career after completing 5 years of study in IEP in Bordeaux, France & IEP Katowice, Poland; receiving Diplomas in both French and Polish.

In his role as Application Technology Manager with LANXESS, Dirk develops new innovative applications and products in the field of battery metals waste water.

Prior to joining LANXESS in 2016 Dirk pursued a Post-Doc at Harvard University, with a main focus on resin beads in bio-physics and bio-medicine. Dirk obtained his PhD in 2013 in polymer chemistry, where he developed multifunctional polymers and monomers.

He is the author of 25 peer reviewed articles and 10 patents. His work was awarded by the Konrad Adenauer and Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Matt is Technical Director of the Goliath programme at Ilika. He holds a materials science PhD and is a chartered chemist and scientist, previously he has worked in various roles developing battery materials and cells.

Conrad Szczuka is a Battery Scientist at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. While working on battery performance and durability, he supports battery-related policymaking by providing technical advice, conducting tailored studies, communicating with stakeholders, following standardization activities on CEN/CENELEC/IEC level, and conducting laboratory research.

Before joining the JRC, Conrad Szczuka was scientifically active in the field of lithium-based batteries for more than 6 years working at RWTH Aachen University, UC Berkeley, University of Cambridge, and Research Centre Juelich.

Jean-Marie Tarascon is a solid-state chemistry expert whose first fifteen years of his career were spent in the United States. He was behind the creation of the European network of excellence ALISTORE-ERI in 2003 and then in 2011 of the French network on the electrochemical storage of energy (RS2E), which he still heads. His fields of research are varied and relate to the design, via eco-efficient synthesis processes, of new electrode materials with exacerbated capacity as well as to the study of new reaction mechanisms and the exploration of new battery technologies beyond Li-ion with in particular Na-ion, Zn-MnO2 or any solid technologies. He is currently passionate about the development of smart batteries via sensor injection.

Caroline was educated as a materials science engineer, and she holds a PhD in materials science. During her many years of experience at Saint-Gobain Ceramics R&D, she led several projects, some of which in the automotive sector. She is now involved in the development of innovations for the Li economy, such as solid electrolyte materials for SSB and materials for Li extraction.

Matteo Tassinari completed his Master degree in Automation Engineering at the University of Bologna Alma Mater Studiorum in 2014.

His first work experiences have been in the field of automotive in the Engine Control Unit in Ferrari on the V12 naturally aspirated engine until 2017.

In The 2017 in Ferrari born the Hybrid department and he became part of the system simulation and battery development. During the growth of the department, that actually change name in ElectroMechanical and Electronics Component, became responsible for Battery Simulation and Battery Control strategies.

As the Head of Sales Battery at Advanced Innergy Solutions Ltd., I lead our Business Line Battery Safety Products, focusing on developing and implementing innovative battery safety solutions. My role involves defining strategic directions, leading a team from R&D, technical support, and sales, and driving key-account development in the EMEA region, with oversight in NAFTA and Asia.

Previously, I served as Global Technical Expert at VonRoll Holding AG, where I managed global key-account projects in e-mobility, focusing on batteries, charging systems, and power electronics. I worked closely with leading automotive and electronics companies, developing strategic materials and applications.

My extensive experience in battery safety, strategic vision, and global perspective make me a knowledgeable and engaging speaker on the subject.

Jesper Frost Thomsen is a Danish PhD student at the University of Münster in Germany, affiliated with the BACCARA graduate school for battery research. He works in the Department of Business Chemistry.

Jesper holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Copenhagen University and a Master’s degree in Engineering on Sustainable Energy from the Technical University of Denmark.

His research focuses on the transport within the battery value chain, with an emphasis on data gathering and transport simulation.

Onur Tokmak is the Product Manager of the Business Unit Battery Technology at Exentec Germany GmbH. Exentec is a leading manufacturing company for the the semiconductor, pharmaceutical and battery industry. He plays a key role in driving the innovation and product strategies for supplying the most advanced batter production facilities to keep up with increasing demands. With a background in mechanical engineering and the semiconductor industry he provides the passion and knowhow to shape the future of battery production.

Laurent TORCHEUX obtained a PhD degree from the Paris University of in 1994.  He joined the European battery company (CEAC-Exide) in 1994 in charge of studies on lead-acid batteries for different applications. He coordinated several European research projects.

In 2002 he joined the EDF group in the R&D dept. and took over the management of the battery group. At the same time, he was entrusted with the responsibility of building test facilities and laboratories to develop EDF’s activity in the field of energy storage by batteries.

Since then, he has been involved in many operational battery projects for various applications worldwide (BESS and electric mobility). He is also responsible for various international partnerships.

In 2020 he was appointed « EDF Group expert » and Fellow by the President of EDF.

Laurent TORCHEUX has spent his entire career in the field of battery technologies. He is the author and co-author of numerous publications and patents.

James Trevey Ph. D, CTO of Forge Nano, is an expert in Li-ion batteries and supply chain and a thought leader in materials science and technology scaling. In addition to being the President-Elect of NAATBatt he is the Founder and Vice President of the Military Power Sources Consortium (MPSC), and an Industry Lead of Li-Bridge, among numerous other advisory boards in the sustainability sector, where he is an active supporter and enabler of collaborative industry and government relations focused on domestic energy security.

Virginie Turc holds an engineering degree in “Energy systems and thermal transfers” from Polytech’ Marseille complemented by an engineering specialization in « Products & Energy » from IFP Energies
Nouvelles. After several years focus on conventional automotive engines, the song of the mermaids around Battery was too strong and she embraced this energizing sector.

From her different roles in Automotive industry, she combines industrial challenges knowledge with software expertise.

Her current position is Best Practices leader for Battery at Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence

Peter Ursic holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ljubljana and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in advanced torque sensing.

With 30 years of experience in Automotive Engineering, Peter has held vital roles at Hidria, including Head of Electronics Development and Project Manager for innovative projects such as the Combustion Pressure Sensor.

Peter has a proven track record of driving innovation, leading multidisciplinary international teams, and delivering innovative products for the Automotive market.
As Innovation Manager at Hidria he cocreates the leading-edge solutions for sustainable mobility.

He is occasional presenter at global conferences and actively engages with Universities and Research Institutes to promptly identify market opportunities for emerging automotive technologies.

With over ten years in the Digital sector with Dassault Systèmes, Nicolas Vallin has spent seven years working for the Battery industry holding various positions and supporting Battery & Gigafactory projects globally. Today, Nicolas Vallin is focusing on guiding Battery Manufacturers with their Digital ambitions. He is also a member of the Strategic Orientation Council for the French PEPR Research Program.

Tom Van Bellinghen founded Lithink in mid-2024 to provide strategic go-to-market advice in the battery industry, leveraging his 15 years of expertise. Lithink focuses on key areas such as supply chains, ESG matters, closed-loop flows, pCAM, CAM & battery quality, and complex negotiations involving metal hedging. Before founding Lithink, Tom played a crucial role at Umicore, where he led the expansion of its Rechargeable Battery Materials business into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise and introduced a direct engagement model between OEMs and cathode manufacturers, improving transparency and sustainability.

From 2019 onward, Tom managed relationships with automotive OEMs, positioning Umicore as a leading cathode supplier. He was instrumental in securing a $3 billion joint venture between Umicore and Volkswagen (Ionway). Tom sits on the advisory board of several battery materials companies and EU battery projects. With prior experience at Intel and Flir Systems, Tom brings a strong technical and business background, holding degrees in Electromechanical Engineering and Business Administration. Now, through Lithink, he continues to advise high-tech industries on strategic commercial matters.

Stefan Van der Wal has a degree in Industrial Management and Chemical Engineering. He has 30 years of experience in the field of process instrumentation and liquid and gas analytics in process industries.

He joined METTLER TOLEDO Process Analytics in 2006. As Head of the Industry Marketing Department, he has consulted with the world’s largest chemical and refining companies regarding best practice industrial process control.

He is strongly involved in application engineering and product development and is behind the design and commercialization of various revolutionary new process analytical products and technologies.

Jan van Treek holds a Diploma of Mechanical Engineering from Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, specializing in production technology and manufacturing.

Jan van Treek gained deep insights into battery manufacturing and customer requirements, both for anode as well as cathode materials. Being responsible for tests with battery raw material suppliers, Jan van Treek seriously understood the pressing needs of different producers and how to optimize their production regarding material quality, production/ process costs and upscaling from research projects to actual production size.

Jan van Treek has a proven track record in sales, design and process development of heat treatment systems for the copper and aluminum industry. Based on market demands as well as technical developments, he assessed and advanced new technologies and systems, for both industries mainly focusing on energy efficiency, increased automation, reduction of maintenance needs and costs as well as reduction of OPEX.

Eric Vanlathem holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Brussels University specializing in high temperature superconductors and has been with Dow Corning since 1994. His career transitioned from R&D to technical customer support across various markets including microelectronics and automotive, currently focusing on automotive electronics at Tiers 1 and emerging battery and e-motor markets for electric vehicles in Europe at Dow Silicones Belgium.

Frank has a background in chemical engineering and for many years he was technically and commercially involved in the design and construction of process systems in the national and international oil and gas industry. Based on industry demands he continuously evaluated and developed new creative technologies and implemented them in the conservative oil and gas industry. Based on this experience he was able to find solutions for specific issues and he was able to acquire a distinctive and strong position in niche markets. In 2012 Frank decided to start his own company: ALTA GROUP.

Inspired by the current climate issues, ALTA GROUP fully endorses that the carbon footprint of all worldwide activities has to be reduced. In order to support this endeavor, ALTA GROUP initially started as a consultancy for sustainable chemical and physical process solutions. In the context of climate action, it transpires that Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) has become a key challenge for the chemical industry. Therefore ALTA GROUP also decided to invest in a novel resource efficient technology to process captured carbon into critical materials for the battery industry.

François has worked in the energy management and automation environment for over twenty-five years, where he has developed a solid experience in engineering and sales, both in France and international operations. Since 2020, François has established and developed Schneider’s international business with Electric Vehicles (EV) battery manufacturers, helping them to build plants faster and optimize operational efficiency to meet growing demand for high quality products. In previous roles, François led global account executives driving Schneider’s international business with some of the world’s biggest electric utility companies. François graduated from France’s HEI engineering school, specializing in automation.

Yann Vincent is Chief Executive Officer of ACC since its creation in 2020.

Prior joining ACC, Yann was Industrial and Logistics Director of PSA Group, Member of its Executive Committee (2014-2020)

From 2009 to 2014, he  was Director of Operational Performance and a Member of the Executive Committee at Alstom Transport.

In 1982, Yann Vincent joined the Renault group where he held the posts of Plant Director, Programme Director, Group Quality Director and Director of Renault in Russia (AvtoVAZ).

Yann Vincent is a graduate of the Ecole Centrale de Paris (1980) and holds an MBA from INSEAD (1989). He also holds a Certification on Companies’ Board Directorship from Sciences-Po Paris (2024).

Philipp Wenz is Head of Key Account Management Battery Recycling at BASF Battery Materials. He holds a diploma in Chemical Engineering from technical university Dortmund (Germany), where he graduated in 2001. Philipp joined BASF in 2006 as Application Development Engineer and CAE Engineer.

During his 18-year career with BASF, Philipp held various positions in Sales and Key Account Management. He has diverse experience and expertise in areas such as business development, negotiation, market intelligence, and sales leadership and has a strong focus on driving sustainability and innovation. The cornerstone of his expertise lies in steering key account relationships and guiding international teams towards groundbreaking achievements in the battery recycling sector.

Bill is the Global Director of Business Development for EV and BESS battery, for the past 25 years Bill has held executive positions, specifically in the electric vehicle industry. Prior to joining BAC, he was at SEA Electric as VP of Sales. Previously, he served as the Executive Vice President at Endera, setting up a dealer network for electrifying School Buses, Trucks and Shuttles. Prior to Endera, Bill was the Director Commercial Sales at Proterra, Inc. – focusing on Commuter Shuttle/Transportation solutions at all Airports, Universities and Corporations.
He handled Electric buses and infrastructure added to the fleets at SFO, JFK, San Diego Airport, Harvard university and University of Georgia, and a full bus fleet electrification of Alabama A&M, among others…

Before joining Proterra, he spent 6 years, working on EV infrastructure for airports, workplace, and universities as well as smart city and DOE projects. Bill convinced Elon & the SpaceX team to install 30 level 1 chargers in their parking structure for employees. He has presented at the Pentagon, Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Bill continues to be a passionate and knowledgeable, (“EVangelist”), spokesperson for the EV Industry.

Martin Winter has been researching in the field of electrochemical energy storage and conversion for more than 30 years. His focus is on the development of new materials, components and cell designs for advanced energy storage systems. Martin currently holds a professorship for “Materials Science, Energy and Electrochemistry” at Institute of Physical Chemistry at University of Münster, Germany. He is founder and scientific director of MEET Battery Research Center at Münster University and of Helmholtz-Institute Münster (HI MS) “Ionics in Energy Storage”, a division of Forschungszentrum Jülich (National Lab in Germany). Among more than 60 awards and recognitions, he is an elected member of National Academy of Science and Engineering, the State Academy of Sciences and Arts, is an officer of the Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class of Germany and spokesperson of German Battery Research.

Sebastian Wolf is Chief Operating Officer of PowerCo and has been appointed as Executive Board Member in May 2022.

Previously, he served as the Chief Operating Officer Battery Cell Production in Volkswagen AG and Head of Operations Battery Cell from August 2021 to Mai 2022, before foundation PowerCo.

Before joining Volkswagen, Sebastian was Regional President Europe and Vice President in the Automotive Business Unit of Farasis Energy from May 2020 to July 2021 and as Senior Director Operations and Managing Director of Farasis Energy from August 2018 to May 2020. c

He also worked for Boston Consulting Group as Advisor and Global Lead Expert Battery Production and Electromobility from October 2017 to July 2021.

Sebastian has lived in several cities and different countries among which Aachen, Stuttgart, Istanbul, Columbia and Shanghai. He now lives close to Salzgitter, Germany, together with his wife and two children. He has a passion for sports cars, Chinese food and pushing for scale up of electromobility as a contribution to a more sustainable world.

Gleb Yushin is a Co-Founder & CTO of Sila. He is also a Professor of Materials Science at Georgia Institute of Technology and an Editor-in-Chief for Materials Today. Gleb has co-authored over 170 peer-reviewed publications, and over 140 US and international patents and patent applications. For his contributions to the development of energy storage materials Gleb has received numerous awards, was elected to be a Fellow of the Materials Research Society, a Fellow of the Electrochemical Society, a Fellow of the EU Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and was recognized as one of the world’s most influential scientific minds.

Gleb holds BS and MS degrees in Physics from Polytechnic Institute and a PhD in Materials Science from North Carolina State University.

John is the CTO/CSO of Polypore International (Celgard)/Asahi Kasei. He received IBA (International Battery Association) Technology Award 2024 for his invention of Ceramic Coated Separator and Outstanding Contribution in Understanding of Internal Shorts Events of Li-ion Cells that lead the broad application of Ceramic Coated Separator (CCS). This technology has made a significant contribution to the evolution of humanity (SVP/CTO Panasonic). He is recognized as the leading authority on lithium-ion battery safety and separators. Through IEEE, he leads in establishing lithium-ion battery industry standards (P1625, P1725). John pioneered the Sulfide SSE with ~ 40 papers (1984-1991). He has chaired and/or organized more than 60 international conferences and delivered more than 120 invited keynote or plenary speeches at various international conferences. John has published more than 300 patents, papers, and books. John received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He also attended Sloan School of MIT.

Bob started at Hewlett-Packard in 1984. During his 42 years with HP, Agilent, and now Keysight, Bob has been part of the company’s marketing and R&D organizations for power supplies, electronic loads, power analysers, data acquisition equipment, test systems and test software.  Now, as a solution architect, Bob is responsible to create Keysight’s grid power and battery testing solutions roadmap by researching customer and industry trends and developing plans to meet emerging customer needs.

He was product manager for several generations of power supplies, including the first modular power system introduced by HP in 1989.  He has also managed Agilent’s power supply test systems business, wireless power business, and battery test systems business.

Bob holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA.

Tomasz Zukowski began his educational journey at Freie Universität Berlin, earning a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from 2007 to 2010. He then completed a Master of Science in Business Chemistry at the University of Münster in 2013.

He started his professional career as a Business Development Manager at Brenntag in 2014, moving on to become an Area Sales Manager at Cabot Corporation in 2017. In 2019, he founded PTL Mercury Solutions GmbH, focusing on sustainability and emission control.

In May 2022, he co-founded Wonderchar Inc., a Texas-based startup specializing in carbon dioxide removal and sustainability. In September 2023, he joined E-Lyte Innovations GmbH in Berlin as a Sr. Key Account Manager.