Ascend Elements Board of Directors Appoints Seasoned Energy Industry Executive Linh Austin to Serve as President and CEO
U.S.-based lithium-ion battery materials company is evolving from a R&D startup to commercial-scale manufacturer of domestic battery materials
WESTBOROUGH, Mass., March 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascend Elements, a vertically integrated battery materials company, today announced the appointment of Linh Austin to serve as the Company's new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Linh Austin has been a member of the Ascend Elements Board of Directors since September 2024. He is a seasoned energy industry executive with more than 30 years of progressive experience in industrial operations, P&L management, mergers and acquisitions, strategy, engineering, procurement, and construction. He has held previous senior-level roles at McDermott, BP and ARCO.
"We are poised to become Europe and North America's leading commercial-scale manufacturer of domestic, critical battery minerals," said Linh Austin, President and CEO at Ascend Elements. "Our Hydro-to-Cathode® direct cathode precursor synthesis process remains the pinnacle of technology in the battery materials and recycling industry. Now, we will become equally preeminent in commercial-scale industrial operations, safety and project leadership. I'd like to thank our investors for their continued support and the Board of Directors for the opportunity to lead Ascend Elements into its next stage of growth."
Ascend Elements operates one of North America's largest lithium-ion battery recycling facilities in Covington, Ga. and is expected to begin commercial-scale production of up to 3,000 metric tons of Lithium Carbonate (Li2CO3) per year in 2025. The facility has capacity to process up to 30,000 metric tons of used lithium-ion batteries and manufacturing scrap per year.
In Kentucky, the Company is building North America's only commercial scale pCAM manufacturing facility with operations planned to begin in Q3 2026. The advanced manufacturing facility known as Apex 1 is partially funded by a $316 million U.S. Department of Energy grant. Apex 1 squarely aligns with U.S. energy policy related to increasing domestic production of critical minerals and enhancing U.S. energy independence.
Founded in 2015 and based in Westborough, Massachusetts, Ascend Elements is a leading provider of domestic, critical minerals and engineered battery materials for the lithium-ion battery industry. The company produces sustainable Lithium Carbonate (Li2CO3) and NMC pCAM made from recycled battery materials. Ascend Elements' patented Hydro-to-Cathode® direct cathode precursor synthesis technology produces new pCAM material from spent lithium-ion cells more efficiently than traditional methods, resulting in improved economics and lowered carbon emissions.
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SOURCE Ascend Elements