Northvolt materials president becomes Battery Alliance managing director

Emma Nehrenheim, most recently chief environmental officer and president of Northvolt Materials, has joined InnoEnergy as managing director of the European Battery Alliance (EBA).

Nehrenheim joins the impact investor focused on clean tech innovation, particularly for batteries, months after the collapse of Northvolt, previously hailed as Europe’s biggest hope for a battery champion.

Nehrenheim takes on the role as new managing director of the European Battery Alliance (EBA), an initiative led by InnoEnergy, under the mandate of the European Commission.

According to the company in a release, Nehrenheim comes with combined expertise in industry and sustainability to lead the industrial stream of EBA in strengthening Europe’s battery value chain and advancing efforts to build industrial capacity and long-term resilience.

The timing of her new role is significant, with Europe’s battery industry facing growing global competition from Asia, who have built massive scale over the past decade.

With limited access to other markets such as the US and lower-than-expected demand in their domestic markets, surplus supply is increasingly being directed toward the European market.

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Emma Nehrenheim: Northvolt to EBA

Nehrenheim succeeds Thore Sekkenes, who has led the industrial stream of the EBA for more than six years and will remain actively involved, supporting the initiative and ensuring a smooth transition as the EBA enters its next phase under new leadership.

Nehrenheim brings more than two decades of experience in environmental engineering and battery manufacturing.

During her time with Northvolt, she was able to gain first-hand experience in growing battery production, navigating complex industrial ecosystems, and advancing sustainable innovation in Europe’s battery sector.

She has also contributed to the development of the EU’s Battery Regulation. Earlier in her career, she held a professorship in environmental engineering and led research on industrial waste and water treatment.

Said Nehrenheim in a release: “When we started Northvolt, Asia had already established a significant lead in battery manufacturing and development. With the support of the European Battery Alliance and InnoEnergy, we took on the challenge of building a battery industry rooted in Europe.

“The transition is going to happen. The real question is whether Europe will secure a meaningful share of it. Our mission isn’t just to build a battery industry, but to make it European, shaped by our standards, driven by our innovation, and powered by our industrial strength. I am here to be part of that and to do what I can to support the continued growth and success of EBA and its member companies.”

Said Diego Pavía, CEO of InnoEnergy: “Europe’s battery value chain, from raw materials to recycling, is a ‘must have’ if the continent is to remain a competitive player in mobility in the short, medium, and long term.”

Pavía cites the potential behind the automotive sector for Europe, representing 7% of the continent’s GDP and 13 million jobs.

The next four to five years, he adds, will be critical with Europe looking to raise this to 8% so as to unlock €300 billion ($346 billion) more in annual GDP and create one million new jobs by 2030.

“This is what is at stake. We are thrilled to welcome Emma who brings many lessons learnt, the do’s and don’ts of scaling up this industry. With Emma leading this ambition alongside the InnoEnergy team and the EBA ecosystem, I believe we have what it takes to emerge as winners in this global challenge.”

InnoEnergy to date has made over 50 investments across the battery value chain and throughout the continent, covering everything from sourcing materials and manufacturing batteries to recycling and end-use applications such as energy storage systems (ESS) and last-mile delivery.

In addition, to help meet the growing need for skilled workers in the battery sector, its Skills Institute has trained over 100,000 people to date.