Stryten incoming CEO Judd reunites previous Johnson Controls management, Vargo to become chairman

and CFO effective February 1 to lead the company’s finance, accounting, treasury, information technology and strategic sourcing.

Before ENTEK Oklobdzija spent 18 years with Johnson Controls most latterly as VP and general manager Americas. He left the firm when it became Clarios after being bought by Brookfield Business Partners in May 2019.

Stryten Energy unveiled a major shake-up of its leadership team on January 4 with a reformulation of ex-Johnson Controls senior management that had worked together in the previous decade.

Stryten president and COO Mike Judd will be promoted to succeed CEO Tim Vargo, who will become chairman. Judd who joined Exide Technologies in 2019 before it became Stryten had also spent 12 years in senior positions in Johnson Controls.

Both appointments are to take effect before the end of Stryten’s fiscal year on March 31.

Vargo, a former CEO and president of Exide Technologies, said Judd’s promotion to CEO was “the culmination of a succession plan the Stryten Energy board and I have developed over the last several years”.

“Mike is the right leader to take the reins of the business and achieve the company’s strategy for increased profitability and growth,” Vargo said.

Meanwhile, Petar Oklobdzija, CFO at separator manufacturer ENTEK, will join Stryten as executive VP

Jansen named as interim Solid Power CEO as Douglas Campbell retires

All-solid-state batteries developer Solid Power said on November 29 that CEO, board member and cofounder, Douglas Campbell, had decided to retire effective immediately.

David Jansen the company’s chair and president, has been appointed as interim CEO while the firm looks for a permanent replacement.

Solid Power independent director John Stephens said: “Since co-founding Solid Power in 2011, Doug has served as a passionate entrepreneur, beginning with the company’s earliest stages as a spin-off from the University of Colorado.”

Stephens said Campbell and the board had decided new leadership was needed “as we enter the next phase in our evolution and build on our momentum as a newly public company”.

Solid Power has partnerships with both BMW and Ford to jointly develop allsolid-state batteries.

Meanwhile, Dan Autey joined the company on January 3 as executive VP commercial. Autey had previously spent 19 years with Johnson Controls/Clarios most latterly as VP/GM aftermarket, US and Canada.

A further appointment has been the promotion of strategic sourcing VP Jeremy Furr to that of senior VP of strategic sourcing. This was confirmed in a LinkedIn post on January 3.

Incoming CEO Judd said Oklobdzija’s career in operations and finance in the automotive and battery industries would help the firm accelerate plans to expand in new and existing energy storage markets. Autey’s automotive and industrial battery expertise

“will help strengthen our ability to serve our customers’ evolving energy needs”, Judd said.

Stryten arose from the creation of two standalone companies in 2020 — Stryten Manufacturing and Element Resources — following Atlas Holdings’ acquisition of lead battery manufacturer and recycler Exide Technologies’.

Stryten bought the vehicle power division of Galvion, a military equipment maker whose products included lithium batteries for onboard systems typically used in combat vehicles such as tanks, in 2021.

In January 2022, Stryten announced its move into vanadium following its acquisition of Storion Energy, a commercial spin-off from technology firm ITN Energy, which began its research into redox flow batteries in 2010.

That was followed in March 2022 by Stryten’s formation of two divisions — Motive Power and Essential Power — focused on developing and producing multiple battery technologies, including lead, for the energy storage market.

Highview Power appoints Redding as general counsel

Highview Power has appointed Sandra Redding as general counsel, the company announced on November 23.

CEO Rupert Pearce said Redding’s experience would be a huge asset in expanding and transforming the company “from a category disruptor to global market leader”.

Redding has more than 20 years of international experience across a num- ber of corporates in the energy sector, and in a wide range of cultural and political environments. She most recently served as general counsel for Seadrill and prior to that as general counsel of the Dubai government-owned Dragon Oil.

She has also held several in-house legal positions within the RWE, Gaz de France and National Grid groups.