Speakers

Frédéric Aguesse is Business Development Manager at CIDETEC Energy Storage, a role he has held since 2021. He has over 15 years of experience in industrial and academic R&D focused on lithium-ion and post-lithium battery technologies. He received his PhD from Imperial College London in 2012 and later led research activities in advanced battery technologies, with expertise in solid-state batteries, solid electrolytes, and post-mortem analysis. Over the course of his career, he has contributed to more than 50 national and European R&D projects and industrial collaborations in electrochemical energy storage, and has been invited as a guest researcher at NIMS (Japan) and Argonne National Laboratory (USA)

30+ years driving turnarounds across energy, mobility, and industrial sectors globally. Delivered $100M+ EBITDA improvement in 12 months at $1.5B company under stakeholder pressure. Built commercial operations across 70+ countries. Repositioned national fuel association to climate leadership during sector disruption.

Currently leading (contractor) commercial activities at Volklec Ltd (UK Battery Manufacturing), Chairman of Cling Systems (EV battery circularity) and Board Member of Ocean Harvesting Technologies (innovative wave power systems). Currently Stockholm-based, internationally mobile.

Dr Gyen Ming Angel is the Managing Director at Prosemino, the first lab-based venture studio focused on climate and energy startups.

Prosemino co-founds, invests in and builds climate & energy tech startups, taking them from concept through to seed investment in its labs in Canada Water, London. Its portfolio includes Sention Technologies (advanced battery diagnostics) and Redoxion (li-ion battery materials), alongside ventures in hydrogen electrolysers, supercapacitors, methane mitigation and beyond.

Balancing the roles of investor and builder, Gyen works closely with scientists and entrepreneurs to translate breakthrough research into scalable businesses. He oversees Prosemino’s venture team, supporting portfolio companies in technical development, commercial strategy, IP, and fundraising. Prior to Prosemino, he worked with startups across feasibility studies, product development, and early growth. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from University College London, where he focused on nanomaterials for energy storage and conversion applications.

Ruth Nic Aoidh is a visionary leader in automotive innovation, business transformation, and strategic leadership. As Director of Vehicle Programmes at Jaguar Land Rover, she is driving the company’s transition to electrification, leading JLR’s Energy Eco-System and shaping the brand’s electric future.

Previously, Ruth held a senior executive role at McLaren Automotive, reporting directly to the CEO and Executive Chairman. She oversaw core functions including Strategy, Purchasing, Legal, Commercial Partnerships, and Government Affairs. Her leadership extended beyond industry lines, including McLaren’s contributions to the UK’s Covid-19 Ventilator Challenge and vaccine support programme.

Ruth has addressed global audiences at the FT Future of the Car Summit and Bloomberg NEF, and appeared on Sky News, BBC, and Bloomberg. She was appointed to UK Government advisory roles including the DIT Trade Advisory Group and BEIS Automotive Council, where she influenced trade and industrial strategy.

Passionate about inclusion and grassroots sport, Ruth is Vice-Chair of Gael Londain GAA Club, a Paralympics Ireland Strategic Advisor, and a former interim CEO. She also supports SMEs through advisory directorships and served as a Non-Executive Director of the SMMT.

Ruth brings dynamic, purpose-driven leadership to every challenge, shaping the future of mobility and business.

Roger has over 30 years’ experience within the automotive arena – including Audi, Virgin, Volvo, Ricardo, Modec ZEV, Gibbs HSA, and London Taxis.

From salesman to regional manager to sales director to EV Industry consultant – for over a decade now Roger has been involved with hybrids and EV’s. Inevitably perhaps, renewable energy is now forming a ‘nexus’ with it.

Roger has been very active on LinkedIn since 2004 and enjoys engaging on a daily basis with a rich network of like-minded people all around the world.

Issam Baghdadi is a battery expert, founder and CEO of Kurybees, supporting battery startups and small businesses in developing advanced battery technologies through testing, modelling, sourcing, R&D and project setup. He previously held several battery engineering and leadership roles at Stellantis, including energy storage team leader, battery specialist and battery modelling engineer. Issam holds a Ph.D. in numerical modelling of lithium-ion battery ageing for automotive applications and has strong expertise in electrochemical, electrothermal, ageing and reliability modelling from cell to pack level. He is also an accredited Research Expert by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research.

Dr. Halle Cheeseman serves as a Program Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) with a focus on batteries and other electrochemical devices.
Before ARPA-E, Dr. Cheeseman served as CTO & head of Research, Development & Engineering for two large battery companies, Exide Technologies and Spectrum Brands. Dr. Cheeseman directed R&D groups working on cutting-edge lithium ion and zinc-air batteries and re-envisioned lead-acid batteries. Dr. Cheeseman was a thought leader for multiple product categories, including high-power battery packs and chargers. Dr. Cheeseman also served as director for lithium-ion product development at Duracell, Inc., vice president of engineering and product development at Encell Technology, Inc., and an energy storage consultant at Energy Blues LLC.

Dr. Cheeseman received a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Chemistry and Materials Science and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. His Ph.D. focused on the corrosion and electrochemistry of rocket oxidizers.

Gemma is a senior commercial leader with over 15 years’ experience across the global chemicals and battery materials supply chain. She previously led lithium sourcing for Johnson Matthey’s Battery Materials business, securing long-term raw material partnerships to support the localisation of supply chains. As Chief Commercial Officer at Tees Valley Lithium, she now leads feedstock strategy and offtake partnerships for the UK’s first large-scale, independent lithium refinery, focused on enabling a secure and resilient domestic critical minerals supply chain.

Matteo, Head of Business Development at MIXACO, has over twenty years of experience in solid mixing processes across various industrial sectors, during which time he has built a strong network of business relationships. Coating, drying, reacting, and granulation are just a few of the results that can be achieved through a mixing process. He likes to find out more, with laboratory test trials. Exploring new application opportunities and meeting solids mixing enthusiast colleagues, are his favourite aspects of his role.

Dr Valentina Gentili is a senior executive with over 20 years of experience in lithium-ion battery innovation and automotive R&D. In June 2025 she was announced as the new Battery Innovation Programme Director at Innovate UK. Prior to this she was Vice President of Global R&D at Agratas and led international teams across the UK and India, advancing next-generation energy storage solutions and aligning technology strategy with commercial goals

She previously held senior roles at Jaguar Land Rover, driving battery technology development and strategic collaborations, and at Johnson Matthey, where she led electrochemical R&D and supported global OEMs in pioneering battery innovation. Valentina actively contributes to the UK’s energy strategy through advisory roles with the Faraday Institution, Faraday Battery Challenge and Automotive Council.

She holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of St Andrews and an MBA from LUISS Business School.

Keri Goodwin is currently a Chief Technologist at CPI and has 15 years of materials chemistry research experience.  She received an MChem and PhD from the University of Edinburgh before beginning her career at CPI in 2009.  During this time she worked in the printable electronics division of CPI for 8 years and lead the electronic materials development team, publishing several papers and patents relating to this work.  This was primarily focused on organic semiconducting materials and formulation development for flexible display applications.  She now leads the battery materials and formulation development area as part of the National Formulation Centre, within CPI. Her expertise lies in materials development for electronic applications as well as optimisation of coatings and interfaces using a variety of depositon techniques, both solution and vacuum based.

Adam Hardy is the founder of a specialist recruitment agency supporting engineering-led businesses across precision engineering, EV/battery, logistics, and defence, with 10 years’ experience helping companies build high-performing teams. 

Alasdair Heath is Director of Sales and Marketing at YOK Energy and Elite Battery Systems, where he leads global commercial strategy for advanced lithium battery solutions. With nearly a decade of experience at YOK Energy, he has progressed through roles including Global Account Manager and Sales Manager, developing a strong track record in delivering tailored power solutions across consumer, industrial, and medical sectors.

Alasdair specialises in helping organisations integrate reliable, high-performance battery technologies into their products, with a strong focus on customisation. He works closely with customers to demonstrate how a tailored battery design can often be a more efficient and cost-effective solution than off-the-shelf alternatives. His expertise spans international account management, market development, and the evolving landscape of lithium battery innovation.

As a speaker, he brings practical insight into the cost structure of the battery design process, including NRE and certification costs. He also provides a clear walkthrough of how Elite Battery Systems supports customers throughout the journey, with integrated expertise across sales, finance, logistics, marketing, and supply chain to ensure a streamlined and efficient development process.

Stephen Hughes is Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Batri Ltd, leading technology development and strategic partnerships. He has been instrumental in the company’s growth, securing and delivering multiple UK government-funded programmes in advanced energy technologies. He currently leads international collaborations with Korean partners and an Automotive Propulsion Centre (APC) programme to scale Batri’s hard carbon anode material to tonne-per-day production. Focused on translating innovation into industrial reality, Stephen specialises in sodium-ion battery technology and the development of localised, low-impact supply chains. He is passionate about building and retaining technical skills to support long-term industry resilience.

Nivedidha Kumaravelu is a Data Scientist at UKBIC, specialising in the application of machine learning and embedded systems within manufacturing environments. Her work applies data-driven and physics-informed models to link process conditions with product performance, enabling more consistent and reliable outcomes. She has experience across key production stages including mixing, coating, calendaring, and winding, working with manufacturing and sensor data to improve process performance and product quality, and contributes to the development of intelligent, data-enabled systems that support real-time insight and decision-making. With 5 years of experience across manufacturing, automotive, and motorsport industries, Nive has developed Physical AI driven solutions that connect data science with engineering applications to enhance product performance and system efficiency.

Dr. Cyril Marino obtained a PhD on material science about the understanding of electrochemical phenomena for the conversion materials used as negative electrode for Li-ion batteries at Université Montpellier 2 (France) in 2012. He was pursuing in the field of research with one assistant professor position at Technische Universität München (Germany) and one scientist position at Paul Scherrer Institut to work on the understanding of high voltage cathode materials for Li-ion batteries and the development of Na-ion batteries. He joined SERMA TECHNOLOGIES in March 2019 and since 2024 he is managing the failure analysis division of batteries and energy system.

Dr Christian Marston is COO and co-founder of UK-based clean technology group Altilium.

Christian previously spent 13 years at global trading and investment company Sumitomo Corporation, where he managed several businesses units, including energy products trading. He has been based in Singapore and was responsible for energy trading in APAC for several commodity traders.

Christian has a Ph.D. in Materials Science and completed his post-doctoral research at the University of Southern California. He has an MBA from Edinburgh Business School.

In 2018-2019 he was part-time researcher in the Battery Group at the University of Exeter’s Renewable Energy Centre, focused on processes for battery recycling.

Altilium’s business is focused on building a sustainable domestic supply chain of low carbon battery raw materials from recycling existing waste streams, including old EV batteries and production scrap.

The company’s proprietary EcoCathode™ process has been independently validated and proven in a scaled-up pilot operation, recovering over 95% of cathode metals, and resulting in up to 74% lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to the use of virgin materials in battery cathode production, and 20% lower costs.

Jacqui Murray is the Director of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult for South Wales. Her background is in the Welsh steel industry, environmental regulation, UK battery and advanced materials innovation. Jacqui’s role is to ensure Wales has exceptional links to the entire HVMC network, provide leadership to Welsh manufacturing at a strategic level and through a digital factory hub inspire a greater adoption of digital and automation tools increase productivity.

She continues as chair of the £65m SmartNanoNI Advisory Group and previously held the positions of Chief Operating Officer of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) and Deputy Director of the £611m million Faraday Battery Challenge, where she helped lead government investment to develop batteries that are cost-effective, high-quality, durable, safe, low-weight and recyclable.  She is a member of the UK Government Battery Taskforce.  Non-Executive Director at a startup making sustainable, high performance nano materials for batteries.

Jacqui continues to advocate for diversity and inclusion in engineering and the positive impact that manufacturing brings to our communities and the UK.

• 22 year veteran of the Lithium Ion battery industry
• Awarded an OBE (2020) from HM the Queen for long service to EV batteries and their development
• Multiple world firsts:
• Worlds first commercially available PHEV (2004)
• Highest power density battery in automotive on two occasion’s (Infiniti e-merge and McLaren P1)
• Worlds first 12 meter EV bus battery

Career History
• Multiple Senior Director positions in battery development:
• Consultant and expert on battery technology and supply chain
• Chief Strategy Officer at Britishvolt
• Engineering and Technology Director, Johnson Matthey Battery systems
• Engineering and Technology Director, Cummins Electrified Power
• Development Director UK Battery Industrialisation Centre
• Global battery specialist Ricardo Plc Hybrid and Electric Division
• 10 years running own start up business, battery system development
• Extensive experience in China and Japan working with CATARC, JAC, GAC,
Nissan and Subaru
• NED Offshore Wind Growth Partnership
• Board of trustees, The Faraday Institution
• Chair of funding Faraday Institution review panels for UK academic research (battery
research)
• UK Automotive Council working group member that established the need for battery
eco-systems in 2016
• Led Britishvolt negotiations with UK Gov for £100mn grant, part of cap raise team
raising £200mn in equity

Andy started his career as a 16-year-old Apprentice and then Project Engineer, before joining Austin Rover in 1986, culminating in his appointment to Chief Engineer for Transmission Engineering & Manufacturing. In 1991, Andy joined Nissan and held a succession of positions, including Program Director for Light Commercial Vehicles, Senior Vice-President, and Executive Vice-President before being appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2013.

​At Nissan, Andy is best remembered for transforming the product line-up, but was also responsible for Business Strategy and Product Planning, Global Sales & Marketing, IT and the company’s Electric Vehicle and Battery business. He was also Chairman of Infiniti. During this time in Japan, Andy was credited with pioneering ground-breaking technologies, including leading the development of the Nissan LEAF electric car.

​In October 2014, Andy was appointed CEO of Aston Martin Lagonda. At Aston Martin, Andy oversaw the launch of four core car models with nine derivatives, including the development and launch of the DBX, the company’s first foray into the growing Luxury SUV market.  This led to the company opening a new manufacturing facility in South Wales, UK. Andy’s time at Aston Martin coincided with unique business conditions, including navigating Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union and the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless he was also instrumental in moving the company towards a mid-engined car bloodline, with the creation of the Valkyrie to be launched late 2020.

In 2012, AutoExpress voted Andy into their Hall of Fame as the “Most Influential British Person in the Global Automotive Business” and in 2018, AutoExpress named him”Person of the Past 30 Years”.

​In 2021, Andy was appointed CEO and Executive Vice Chairman of electric bus maker. Switch Mobility (formerly Optare). Andy oversaw an investment in Switch that saw it valued at $1.8 billion, making it a unicorn. Andy made the decision to depart Switch in late 2022 to dedicate more time to a plurality of projects in the green automotive space.

Marc is an automotive industry expert of over 20 years’ experience with the UK’s largest automotive marketplace as well as four car manufacturers, specialising in the progress of electrification in the UK.

Using his research and insights background, Marc explores consumer attitudes – motivations and consideration, reasons for rejection and perception – with a particular focus on the electric transition. His work looks into different demographic groups and their propensity to consider, the differences between gender, affluence and age cohorts, and uses research to consider how progress can be accelerated.

Appointed in May 2004, Graeme is the founding CEO of Ilika. He has led the company through two rounds of venture funding, floated it on AIM in 2010 and supported its development through growth placings with high quality institutional investors.

Prior to joining Ilika, Graeme was Chief Operating Officer of a high-technology company in the Netherlands and before that worked internationally in a variety of technical and commercial roles for Shell. Graeme holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Cambridge and an MBA from INSEAD business school in France. Graeme is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and a Sainsbury Management Fellow.

He has also held non-executive positions at Southampton Asset Management and at lithium miner Bacanora plc.

Martin Schmiedlin started his career as a project manager, establishing a solid foundation in direct sales, control systems and mechanical engineering. He then spent over 16 years as a senior project manager and salesperson at a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology. In this role, Martin gained deep expertise in areas such as GMP, metrology, automation, process automation, and solution selling, while managing key accounts and customer relations. For the past three years, he has served as Area Sales Manager at WAB-GROUP®, specialising in Process Technology Solutions for Mixing, Milling, and Flow Chemistry. In this role, Martin oversees sales across a diverse international portfolio of markets, including the UK, Ireland, India, Japan and Taiwan. 

Puneet Sinha is the Global Head of the Battery at Siemens Digital Industries Software, where he leads the company’s global sales and solutions strategy to accelerate growth and innovation across the entire battery value chain. 

A seasoned technology executive with nearly two decades of experience, Puneet has held a range of technical and leadership roles across the automotive, energy storage, and industrial software sectors. His career includes leading global R&D teams at General Motors to solve complex challenges in fuel cell and battery electric vehicles, serving as Vice President of Business Development at EC Power, a lithium-ion battery software startup, where he helped guide the company from pre-revenue to successful exit, and working in battery R&D and manufacturing at Saft, a leading lithium-ion battery manufacturer. 

Puneet holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University. He has authored over 20 highly cited journal publications and holds 7 patents related to battery and fuel cell system design and operations. 

Tom Wadsworth serves as Director of Business Development at Ecobat Solutions, where he drives the company’s commercial strategy in the UK with a strong focus on securing lithium-ion battery feedstock for Ecobat’s recycling facilities. He also plays a key role in shaping and executing Ecobat’s UK strategy, developing new customer relationships, and supporting the marketing of the diverse products produced across Ecobat’s operations.

Tom brings more than 15 years of leadership experience in the global battery industry. His career spans North America, where he spent seven years, and the APAC region, where he spent over five. Before joining Ecobat, Tom held the role of Global Product Director at Li-Cycle, a leading critical materials recovery company. Earlier, he spent 12 years with Fujitsu in its battery manufacturing division, building deep expertise across product, operations, and international markets.

Tom holds a bachelor’s degree in Management from Leeds Beckett University.

Dr Nick Welton is Technical Manager at Powdertech Surface Science, and has led the development of dielectric coating systems on major EV projects in the UK. He has a PhD in polymer chemistry and a recently awarded Fellowship from the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IoM3). For over 35 years Nick has been pushing the boundaries of surface treatments, within UK manufacturing sectors. His innovative work led to the creation of adhesive-free PowderBondPP, and he’s the inventor on six patents.

He has provided the surface finishing expertise on several research projects within the EV field – including the Advanced Propulsion Centre’s ALIVE project. In recent years he has led several dielectric coating development projects for major automotive OEMs and tier one suppliers. He has an unrivalled grasp on all the elements that contribute to a successful dielectric powder coating system. Simply put, he is the authority on aluminium surface finishing and dielectric coating in the UK.

Bill is the Global Director of Business Development for EV and BESS battery, working on sustainable gigafactory cooling worldwide. For over 25 years Bill has held executive positions, specifically in the electric vehicle & battery industry. Prior to joining BAC, he was at SEA Electric as VP of Sales, coordinating sales and training a dealer network for Volvo Mack and Hino Electric Trucks. As the Director Commercial Sales at Proterra, Inc. He focused on Zero Emissions Transportation solutions at all Airports, Universities and Corporations. Before joining Proterra, he spent 6 years, working on EV battery development, 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 multiple GigaFactory and Battery conferences, 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.