Markus Baum will lead the commercial activities of Chinese battery producer CATL in Europe as the new Chief Commercial Officer Europe from 1 November 2023. This position will bundle sales functions at the local level for the first time.
Markus Baum joins CATL from fastener manufacturer Bulten, where he was also CCO. Baum was most recently responsible for the successful restructuring of Bulten’s global sales system, CATL said in a statement sent to us by email. At the Chinese battery manufacturer, he will now be responsible for integrating, structuring and developing CATL’s commercial operations in Europe. The company has created this new position.
In the announcement, Baum also has his own say: “I am very pleased to be able to accompany the development of future-oriented technologies and the progress of electromobility as part of a dynamic company. The transformation of the industry has begun. Issues of decarbonisation and emission reduction are constantly driving change in the automotive industry and other sectors. We want to make a significant contribution to this with our partners,” says the new European CCO.
Mathias Hüttenrauch, CEO CATL Europe, welcomes him as follows: “We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Markus Baum in his new position as CCO Europe. Dr Baum is an expert in sustainable distribution structures. His many years of experience and knowledge of the commercial sector will be a great asset to our company. I am convinced that Dr Baum will make an important contribution to CATL’s development in Europe.”
For his part, Hüttenrauch has only been CEO of CATL in Europe since March 2023. In addition to this new post, he also took over the chairmanship of the management of Contemporary Amperex Technology Thuringia (CATT) in the spring. This was previously headed by Matthias Zentgraf. In addition, Rudolf Staudigl was appointed Chairman of the Supervisory Board of CATL in Europe and Germany in March.
CATL introduced the position of “CEO Europe” a few months ago after the Chinese company started series production of battery cells in Germany at its factory in Arnstadt, Thuringia, in early 2023. The initial capacity of the factory is 8 GWh per year. With a total investment of up to 1.8 billion euros, CATL currently says it plans to reach a production capacity of 14 GWh “in the future” and create a total of up to 2,000 new jobs in Germany. Currently, according to CATL, 1,000 employees from 30 countries are already working at the Thuringia plant.
Meanwhile, CATL has announced its presence at the IAA Mobility in Munich, where new manager Markus Baum will be present. Among other things, CATL will be spotlighting its recently introduced new battery called Shenxing. This is a particularly fast-charging LFP battery for electric vehicles, which is to go into series production as early as the end of 2023.
Source: Info via email
