Dear Alumni,
According to yearly theme on strategic autonomy of corporations towards VUCA world, the HEC Alumni Corporate Strategy Club is organizing, in conjunction with Automotive and Transition Clubs, an evening conference in hybrid on the following theme :
Breaking Asia's dependence on critical metals: the case of lithium batteries
Our speakers :
Ajay Kochhar
President, CEO, and co-founder of Li-Cycle, from Canada
Alessandro Tripoli (E22)
Li-Cycle, Head of Commerce Europe
The panel will be in English and will address following issues:
The burgeoning demand for rare and critical metals, essential components of Lithium-Ion Batteries, has placed Europe and North America in a precarious position, heavily reliant on Asian suppliers and geopolitical dynamics. To address this vulnerability and secure a sustainable future, concerted efforts must be directed towards bolstering domestic production and recovery capabilities.
In a pivotal step towards enhancing European autonomy and sovereignty, several giga-factories for vehicle batteries are being constructed. France inaugurated the first such facility in Douvrin (Pas-de-Calais) last May.
Recycling, another critical pillar of strategic independence, holds immense promise. Canadian-based Li Cycle has developed a safe and sustainable process for recovering critical materials from lithium-ion batteries, with operations spanning America and Europe.
However, the trajectory of recycling and new investments hinges on the evolving automotive landscape. Key questions remain:
- Will electric vehicles dominate, or will alternative technologies emerge?
- Can recycling keep pace with China's dominance?
- Will standardized battery models streamline the process?
- What untapped potential lies beyond automotive applications for lithium batteries?
The recycling industry must anticipate and adapt to these evolving scenarios to achieve the ambitious 2050 decarbonization goals.
We have very interesting issues to talk about.
A cocktail will follow the panel event.
Looking forward to meeting you there or having you on line.
Jean-Christophe Long, President Club Corporate Strategy
Antoine Rabain, President Club Transition
Jean Triomphe, President Club Automotive
Point of contact : Olivier.guerinault@mailhec.com
Short introduction to Li-Cycle and Speakers
Li-Cycle is on a mission to leverage its innovative solutions to address an emerging and urgent global challenge. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) rechargeable batteries are increasingly powering our world in automotive, industrial energy storage, and consumer electronic applications. The world needs improved technology and supply chain innovations to better recycle these batteries, while also meeting the rapidly growing
demand for critical and scarce battery-grade materials.
Founded: 2016
Co-Founders: Ajay Kochhar and Tim Johnston
Number of Employees: 500+
Global Headquarters: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
EMEA Headquarters: Baar, Switzerland
4 plants operational in North America, 1 plant operational in Europe.
Developments on going with additional plants in Europe in 2024.
Ajay Kochhar is the President, CEO, and co-founder of Li-Cycle.
Prior to founding Li-Cycle, Ajay gained extensive technology and project development experience through progressive roles with Hatch’s industrial cleantech and advisory practices. While working in that space, he garnered in-depth engineering and project management experience through clean technology development in the lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, gold, lead, zinc, molybdenum, and rare earth metals industries. His technical expertise spans the entire project lifecycle, from conceptual and pre-feasibility studies to construction and commissioning.
Born and raised in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, Ajay comes from entrepreneurial roots, having gained experience from a young age via a family business. An ardent music enthusiast, he is a classical guitarist who maintains the hobby even now for enjoyment.
Ajay is a graduate of the University of Toronto and holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) in Chemical Engineering.
Alessandro Tripoli. With 18 years of sales and marketing experience in the automotive industry, Alessandro is engaged with executing Li-Cycle’s strategy within EMEA by growing and establishing new customer relationships, and marketing the various products produced at the recycling Spokes and Li-Cycle’s Hub.
Prior to joining Li-Cycle, Alessandro served as a Sales Director for automotive Tier 2 company Holophone, where he led the sales team and drove the company’s key accounting activities. Alessandro also worked for a global supplier in the automotive industry (Tier 1), Sogefi Group, as a Marketing Manager where he played a key role in redressing the activity of two Latin American subsidiaries.
He worked as well for car makers (OEM): PSA (today Stellantis), Ducati, Husqvarna, Renault.
Born and raised in Palermo, Italy, currently calls France, home. He holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from HEC Paris, a master’s degree in International Trade from IAE de Perpignan, and master’s degree in Economics from the Università di Palermo in Italy.
Texte en français
Cher(e) Alumni,
Dans le cadre de ses travaux sur l’autonomie stratégique, le Club HEC Stratégie de l’entreprise organise avec les Clubs Automobile et Transition une soirée conférence en mode hybride sur le thème :
Briser la dépendance de l’Asie pour les métaux critiques :
le cas des batteries Lithium
Avec
Ajay Kochhar
President, CEO, and co-founder of Li-Cycle, depuis le Canada
Et
Alessandro Tripoli ( E22)
Head of commerce Europe
Elle aura lieu (en anglais) le : Mercredi 10 janvier 2024 de 19H00 à 21H00 ( en présentiel et en ligne)
La demande croissante de métaux rares et critiques, composants essentiels des batteries au lithium-ion, a placé l'Europe et l'Amérique du Nord dans une position précaire, fortement dépendante des fournisseurs asiatiques et de la dynamique géopolitique. Pour remédier à cette vulnérabilité et assurer un avenir durable, des efforts concertés doivent être déployés pour renforcer la production nationale et les capacités de récupération.
Plusieurs gigantesques usines de batteries pour véhicules sont en cours de construction, ce qui constitue une étape décisive dans le renforcement de l'autonomie et de la souveraineté de l'Europe. La France a inauguré la première de ces installations à Douvrin (Pas-de-Calais) en mai dernier.
Le recyclage, autre pilier essentiel de l'indépendance stratégique, est extrêmement prometteur. La société canadienne Li Cycle a mis au point un processus sûr et durable pour récupérer les matériaux essentiels des batteries lithium-ion, et ses activités s'étendent en Amérique et en Europe.
Toutefois, la trajectoire du recyclage et des nouveaux investissements dépend de l'évolution du paysage automobile.
Des questions clés demeurent :
- Les véhicules électriques vont-ils dominer ou des technologies alternatives vont-elles émerger?
- Le recyclage peut-il suivre le rythme de la domination chinoise ?
- La normalisation des modèles de batteries permettra-t-elle de rationaliser le processus ?
- Quel est le potentiel inexploité des piles au lithium au-delà des applications automobiles ?
L'industrie du recyclage doit anticiper et s'adapter à ces scénarios évolutifs pour atteindre les objectifs ambitieux de décarbonisation de 2050.
Au plaisir de t'y rencontrer
Jean-Christophe Long, Président du Club Stratégie de l’entreprise
Antoine Rabain , Président du club Transition
Jean Triomphe , Président du club Autombile et mobilité
Point de contact événement : Olivier.guerinault@mailhec.com
Un coquetel amical suivra la conférence.
Presentations : Li-Cycle, Tim Johnston and Alessandro Tripoli ( see text in English )