Britishvolt has appointed Isobel Sheldon as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and head of the advisory board, to support building the UK’s first large-scale cell gigafactory.
Having amassed nearly 20 years of lithium ion battery industry experience, she joins the company from the government-backed, UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC), which aims to transition the country into a leader in cell design, development and manufacture for vehicle electrification, where she served as director of business development.
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Prior to this, she held senior leadership positions within global companies, recently serving as Engineering and Technology director at Johnson Matthey Battery Systems, where she led the technical strategy and execution within the battery systems business.
“As one of the first pioneers to integrate lithium ion batteries in road vehicles, including the first commercially available Plug in Hybrid in the world based on the Toyota Prius hybrid in 2003, I have developed a wealth of knowledge on a wide range of disciplines; from cell technology, chemistries and system integration to how the global industry and supply chain works, as well as the processes involved in manufacturing the cells,” said Sheldon.
“These first few months will be of huge importance, as Britishvolt lays the foundation from which the whole enterprise will be built. As we go forward with the planning phase, our strategy will be to focus on which technology choices we will carry forward, the location of the facility and identify key personnel that will be required to build a roadmap for the future.
“The lithium ion cell industry is one of the fastest growing and dynamic areas of modern technology at the moment, which Britishvolt’s 30 plus GWh gigafactory is ideally positioned to capitalise on, potentially creating more than 4,000 jobs for the UK economy.”
For his part, Britishvolt founder and CEO, Lars Carlstrom added: “Isobel was the perfect fit for this hugely significant role, as she has a rare skill-set and the background to understand both the technical and chemical aspects of batteries; whilst being able to implement this into a business paradigm to create value for our shareholders.”
