Battery materials recycler Neometals Ltd has appointed career electric vehicle and battery recycling expert Christian Reiche to lead the group’s lithium-ion battery (LiB) recycling activities.

Over the course of his 20-year career, Reiche has been actively engaged in pioneering automotive electrification and battery recycling initiatives for Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen.

He has “developed a deep understanding of battery raw materials projects on a global scale, collaborating with various stakeholders across the entire battery value chain”, according to Neometals’ regulatory statement regarding the hire.

Neometals’ managing director Chris Reed commented: "Given the nascent nature of integrated LiB recycling, there is understandably a small pool of executives with deep OEM experience in and around the battery recycling sector.

“We are delighted to welcome Christian on board; he is a subject matter expert who started his career as an automotive electrician, became an automotive engineer, headed Mercedes-Benz's first EV project and also headed recycling for VW."