QuantumScape loses manufacturing chief over management style mismatch – TechCrunch

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Celina Mikolajczak, who has held senior roles at Tesla and Panasonic, resigned from QuantumScape much less than a year after getting the main manufacturing officer position at the stable-state battery firm, in accordance to a regulatory filing.

Mikolajczak and QuantumScape are parting approaches above “differing administration kinds amongst the events,” the submitting with the U.S. Securities and Trade Commission states. Mikolajczak will transfer to an advisory purpose on the company’s scientific advisory board.

She intends to aim her vocation on the improvement of a fully U.S.-primarily based battery source chain, in accordance to the filing.

Shares of QuantumScape fell 7.7% to near at $10.15, around its 52-7 days small of $10.

The departure wraps up a quickly and furious relationship between the firm and Mikolajczak.

A minimal above a 12 months in the past, Mikolajczak took a board seat at QuantumScape. She was nevertheless vice president of battery technologies at Panasonic Power of North The us when she joined the board, telling TechCrunch at the time that her employer “graciously allowed her” to consider the appointment.

A month later on, QuantumScape introduced Mikolajczak would be part of the company as vice president of producing engineering, starting in July. She resigned from the board in connection with accepting the offer you. In her new role, Mikolajczak was billed with primary the changeover of the company’s tools and manufacturing processes from research and progress to manufacturing, QuantumScape mentioned in a regulatory submitting at the time.

The using the services of appeared to be a boon for both equally functions.

QuantumScape, which had risen to buzzy prominence just after Volkswagen Team invested a lot more than $500 million, struck a deal in September 2020 to merge with a unique goal acquisition firm, Kensington Cash Acquisition Corp. The capital elevated through the public marketplaces would give QuantumScape the boost it required to commercialize stable-state batteries for electric powered motor vehicles.

In the meantime, Mikolajczak experienced the variety of encounter QuantumScape would have to have to scale.

Mikolajczak has a very long heritage of looking into and creating better lithium-ion batteries. Her specialized consulting practice at Exponent centered on lithium-ion mobile and battery security and excellent. She then took a senior administration place at Tesla that was targeted on cell high-quality and supplies engineering. All through her time at Tesla, Mikolajczak made the battery cells and packs for Tesla’s Design S, Model X, Model 3 and Roadster Refresh.

Following leaving Tesla, Mikolajczak went on to serve as director of engineering, concentrating on battery development for rideshare autos at Uber Technologies. And in 2019, she joined Panasonic Power of North The united states, exactly where she was vice president of battery technological innovation. When at Panasonic, Mikolajczak led a workforce focused on strengthening lithium-ion mobile manufacturing and bringing the hottest cell technologies to mass manufacturing for Tesla at the Gigafactory facility in Sparks, Nevada.

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