Kelsey SEPTEMBER

Jenny and the City Exclusive Interview with Valentina Koleva

Interview by Jenny Leeser, Jenny and the City

Valentina Koleva is a dynamic and accom plished veteran in the battery industry with a proven track record of driving sales growth and building successful customer networks. Valentina has played a critical role in expanding the company’s market share and driving innovation in the industry. Valentina’s journey to the battery industry began with an MBA degree, and over the years she developed a keen sense of what it takes to succeed in the competitive battery industry. She has a relentless focus on understanding customer needs and delivering innovative solutions that exceed their expectations. Valentina’s leadership style is characterized by a focus on collaboration, transparency, and accountability. She believes that everyone on the team has a critical role to play in driving sales growth and each team member should be empowered to contribute to the company’s success.

How did you start in a business that might be more dominant by man? I will break all clichés and remind that the world we live in has not been just a man’s world for a number of years. Many companies including Saft, the company I work for, celebrates and respects women who are in nu merous leadership roles. In the past, women were not allowed to be lawyers, doctors and be in any administrative and management roles. Today, the numbers speak for themselves as talented women surpass men in the number of graduate degrees earned each year. Speaking from experience, opportunities do come easier to the ones who have earned a degree from a reputable university. Multiple internships, honors and recognitions especially if fresh out of college with no experience can be key factors as well. Perseverance and trust are indicators leading to companies’ willingness to provide an opportunity and “invest” in the individual.

How is a day in your life? Back in the day, I focused on Battery 101, Ohm’s Law, and the market side of the battery industry. I read a book called “Batteries in the Portable World” written for individuals who are not engineers. I stayed close to all engineers and learned as much as possible until everything clicked after a couple of years. Power, Energy, Capacity, Voltage, and Energy density were all foreign terms to me. Learning the battery chemistries and their capabilities is like learning a foreign language. It takes time to sink in but once you get it, it just flows, and you start forming sentences and get to a point where you can intelligently converse on technical level. Then, work with the Applications Engineer on designing the next battery. Of course, it becomes even more fun when you know what battery to suggest before you even present to the Engineer. This all comes with experience and by knowing the markets, the competition, etc. Today, my days are a bit easier because of all the knowledge I gained throughout the years. I assist my customers, distributors, OEMs, and end users with designing and qualifying high-quality batteries for critical applications. At times, I even teach them the battery language as the battery community remains small.

What are lithium batteries? Tell us a little bit about the battery world and why is it so important? Lithium batteries are one of the most important technological innovations of modern times – lithium primary non rechargeable and lithium ion rechargeable were introduced in the 1970s and 1990s respectively. They are small, portable, and can store electrical energy for use in a wide range of applications. From powering our smartphones to storing renewable energy, batteries have revolutionized the way we live and work. The importance of batteries in the world cannot be overstated. They are essential components of modern life, providing power for everything from transportation to communications to medical equipment. Without batteries, many of the things we take for granted would simply not be possible.

What is the difference between regular batteries & Lithium? Sometimes we don’t think of how essential batteries are for our daily lives, can you share some examples of them? Regular batteries, also known as alkaline batteries. They are inexpensive and widely available. The main differences between regular batteries and lithium batteries are their composition, energy density, rechargeability, and intended use. Regular batteries are typically disposable and used in devices such as flash lights and remote controls to name a few, while lithium batteries have a higher energy density, and used in high-drain devices. In simple language, regular batteries are consumer batteries – the ones that can be found at your local grocery store, Costco, Dollar Tree, etc. When it comes to lithium batteries, imagine industrial, medical, aviation applications where a failure is not an option.

An example here could be Automated External Defibrillator (AED) – that battery better has zero Voltage delay and work as intended or else…Think about the Total Cost of Ownership (we call it) when purchasing a battery that can last in your device for 10 – 15 years vs. 6 months – 1 year. Batteries used in potentially explosive environments having special requirements. How about batteries in space? Oh yes – satellites! Just to name a few more more – downhole drilling, military, navy, Internet of Things (IoT) applications all require quality and reliable batteries with long life.

In a way you guys were saving lives during the pandemic, tell us how did Saft came to the rescue? During the Covid 19 Pandemic, batteries came to the rescue by assisting first responders in respirators. A respirator is designed to protect the user from inhaling airborne contaminants associated with inhaling particle droplets. Public safety and first responder communities face many dangers and use personal protective equipment to protect themselves. As I mentioned earlier, batteries are being used in AEDs located in airports, police vehicles, etc. Body camera videos are being released all the time capturing the heroic moments of state troopers saving lives of individuals who fell unconscious in a crash for example. Delivering a shock before chest compressions is key in regaining cautiousness. State troopers have AEDs in their vehicles and have regular trainings on the use of AEDs and CPR. The list is long…