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People

Desmond Long has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of BASF Shanshan Battery Materials Co., Ltd effective April 1, 2024. In his new role, Desmond will lead the business management of the company.

“BASF Shanshan Battery Materials has established a strong position in the lithium- ion battery materials market as a reliable supplier to our customers, and is poised to further expand our success in the field of battery materials,” said Desmond Long. “We are committed to continue the journey of innovative, high-quality and low-carbon footprint products and work tirelessly to further create value for our customers and partners.”

BASF Shanshan Battery Materials is a joint venture formed by BASF and Shanshan in 2021 and is majority owned by BASF. It has four sites in Hunan and Ningxia, China, with more than 1,400 employees. BASF Shanshan Battery Materials has a strong position in the battery materials value chain, especially in China.

Long has over 25 years of professional experiences in international business management, sales management, supply chain management, key account management and product marketing in various Asian countries, including China. He has extensive experience in the engineering plastics and performance materials markets especially for automotive, consumer electronics and construction industries. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (International Business).

Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC) said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that chief executive Waleed Al Bader, who had led the company since 2021, is stepping down. There has been no news about a successor at time of writing. Al Bader’s was instrumental in the development of the giant Al Zour refinery, which came online in late 2022, leading Kuwait to become a major exporter of refined products, especially very low sulphur fuel oil for shipping. Kuwait’s oil exports hit a record high of about 720,000 tonnes (158,000 bbl/d) in February. Al Bader, a veteran of Kuwait’s energy sector, had previously also served as chief executive of the Kuwait National Petroleum Company, which he left in 2022.

Gary Stanley, former Director of the Office of Critical Minerals and Metals at the US Department of Commerce, has joins the First Phosphate Advisory Board. Stanley has more than 40 years’ experience with the Department of Commerce in Washington, DC, serving under every U.S. President from Ronald Reagan to Joe Biden. During his tenure, he worked with both public and private sector stakeholders to strengthen American supply chains and to enhance US global competitiveness in critical minerals, metals, chemicals, and other materials industries.

Stanley was lead author of the 2019 US Federal Critical Minerals Strategy which became the foundation for the U.S. Government’s critical mineral supply chain prerogatives. This initiative also led to the creation of the 2019 USA-Canada Critical Minerals Working Group which has contributed to the advancement of many critical minerals projects involving American and Canadian companies.

“Mr. Stanley shares our vision of deep commitment to a North American battery supply chain and has many years of experience in multilateral cooperation in crucial minerals and battery supply chains,” said John Passalacqua, CEO of First Phosphate. “Gary brings a wealth of knowledge and insights and an extensive global network of government, industry, and trade expertise to our team.”

“It is a privilege to share in First Phosphate’s commitment to the development of a critical piece of the North American lithium iron phosphate (“LFP”) battery supply chain,” said Mr. Stanley. “Together, Canada and the United States can achieve success in the globally-competitive battery and long-term energy storage sectors. This can be accomplished through respect for environmental standards and with benefit to rural and indigenous communities.”