Blue Whale adds to executive team

Battery recycling technology firm announces multiple hirings.

Blue Whale Materials (BWM), a Washington-based developer of lithium-ion battery recycling plants, has announced several new appointments to its leadership team.

Cory Spaugh has been named chief financial officer (CFO), joining Blue Whale from Sapphire Gas Solutions where, as CFO, he was involved in several mergers and acquisitions, BWM says.

Brian Schupbach has been named vice president of engineering and technology. Schupbach most recently worked at California-based Redwood Materials, where he was vice president of manufacturing engineering. “Brian will play a leading role in bringing BWM’s validated technology to fruition,” the company says.

Christina Chilcote has been named BWM’s director of development. Chilcote has 20 years of experience in international business relations and will focus on “expanding BWM’s business relations and implementing marketing strategies for growth,” the company says.

David Barlin has been named director of projects and operations. In that role, he will lead BWM’s plant design and will oversee the construction of what BWM calls its “first-stage processing facilities.” Barlin brings 25 years of experience to BWM and previously worked for Nestle Health Sciences and Greka Drilling in Asia.

Blue Whale is thrilled to welcome Cory, Brian, Christina and David to the team,” CEO Robert Kang says. “They are joining us at an exciting time and will help us build a sustainable, closed-loop recycling system for spent li-ion batteries in the United States. We are very pleased to be adding such incredible talent to BWM as we continue our mission to establish the preeminent li-ion battery collection and recycling network in the U.S.”

BWM is building plants in the U.S. using technology it says has been validated on a commercial scale in Asia. It is a portfolio company of Ara Partners, a Houston-based private equity firm specializing in industrial decarbonization investments.