The CEO of Northvolt, Peter Carlsson, announced this morning in Sweden that it will be Quebecer Angéline Bilodeau who will take charge of operations at the ETT factory and who will become interim senior vice-president of operations for the battery manufacturer in the faced with serious financial difficulties.
“I am very happy to accept this challenge during a crucial phase for Northvolt Ett. My main goal is simple: to ensure that our teams remain focused, united and safe as we progress. It’s teamwork, and I’m sure we will achieve it together,” shared Angéline Bilodeau in a statement to Newspaper.
Barely 24 hours after the announcement of the bankruptcy of its subsidiary responsible for the development of its giant Swedish factory in Skelleftea, the Quebecer becomes responsible for supervising the crucial operations of Northvot ETT.
“I am delighted with the appointment of Angéline Bilodeau as interim director of Northvolt’s operations in Sweden,” said the Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy (MEIE), Christine Fréchette.
“It is also a source of great pride to see a Quebec woman like Angéline take the reins of such an important mandate at a crucial time for Northvolt,” she added.
The ETT factory, Sweden.
Photo provided by NORTHVOLT
The director of the main Swedish plant Northvolt Ett, Mark Duchesne, has left his position, the Swedish battery manufacturer announced on Wednesday.
Photo taken from the Northvolt website
Former Amazon employee
Angéline Bilodeau will have to quickly ramp up production at the factory so that “Northvolt Ett respects its commitments to customers”.
A graduate of the University of Sherbrooke in mechanical engineering and an MBA from HEC Montréal, the local engineer was vice-president of operations at Northvolt Six in Quebec.
She has held senior positions at United Technologies and Amazon in robotics in Canada, Singapore and Brazil.
The Northvolt mega-factory which will be built in Saint-Basile-le-Grand and McMasterville.
Photo provided by NORTHVOLT
In mid-September, The Journal reported the words of a Swedish economist who was sorry that the financial situation of the European battery manufacturer had become so disastrous. It even made him fear that Northvolt’s $7 billion flagship factory would never see the light of day.
However, despite the cascade of bad news, Paolo Cerruti, CEO North America and co-founder of Northvolt, assured once again on Tuesday that, on the contrary, the Quebec project is still on track.
“The work surrounding our project in Quebec is progressing as planned, and we remain determined to contribute to the local economy with our investments and our know-how in the battery sector,” he assured the Newspaper.