US battery recycling business Cirba Solutions has appointed Jake Wilson as chief legal officer.

Wilson joins from Albemarle Corporation – the world’s largest provider of lithium for electric vehicle batteries – where he held a number of roles including vice president for global legal affairs and more recently vice president for corporate business development. At Cirba Solutions he will take on all legal and compliance activities and provide strategic guidance and governance oversight.

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Cirba Solutions has been providing battery recycling and materials processing facilities for 30 years, handling end-of-life batteries and gigafactory manufacturing scrap, something that will become increasingly important amid the growth in electric vehicles and other battery-related energy transition technologies.

David Klanecky, president and CEO of Cirba Solutions, said: “[Wilson] is a proven leader that takes a collaborative approach, embodies professionalism, and will serve as a strong strategic business partner. Jake brings exceptional experience supporting high-growth organisations in legal, governance and compliance matters.

“His leadership will play an integral role in steering the company through future opportunities, ensuring that our legal strategies support the company’s growth and innovation.”

Wilson spent 11 years at Albemarle, originally joining as deputy general counsel. Prior to that he spent eight years as senior counsel at FedEx, advising on securities and corporate law. He started his career in private practice as a corporate attorney at Haynes and Boone.

He said: “To be part of an organisation with a distinguished history of providing sustainable battery recycling services and solutions, an outstanding culture and a rapidly expanding operational footprint is exciting. I am thrilled to join the company at such a pivotal time and look forward to working with a remarkable team to continue the growth and success of the company.”


In other battery-related in-house moves, last September US battery storage start-up Spearmint Energy hired Tara Young as its first GC. She joined from energy storage peer Plus Power.