Speakers 2026

Ilka von Dalwigk has spent her career at the intersection of industry transformation and European policy. As one of the driving forces behind the European Battery Alliance, Ilka helped turn a fragmented landscape into a coordinated industrial movement - shaping sustainability frameworks, strengthening supply chain resilience, and connecting innovators across borders. Her contribution to Europe’s battery value chain earned her the BEPA Battery Star Award in 2024. Today, as Director General of RECHARGE, she leads the association representing Europe’s advanced rechargeable and lithium battery industry. Her work focuses on responsible production, circularity, and the policies that will define Europe’s competitiveness in [...]

Dr. Biwei Xiao is currently a Full Professor at General Research Institute for Non-ferrous Metals, China. He is a director of the Chinese Materials Research Society. Dr. Xiao received his Ph.D degree from University of Western Ontario in Canada in 2017, followed by serving as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory of the United States’ Department of Energy, and was promoted to Materials Scientist in 2018. Dr. Xiao’s primary research lies in the development of high-performance materials for Li and Na-ion batteries as well as the industrialization of them. Dr. Xiao has published over 100 papers on journals [...]

Dion Wilde holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Material Science and Engineering from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). His expertise in battery technology began during his undergraduate studies and deepened with a focus on electrochemical battery simulation throughout his Master's program. Wilde's academic journey includes valuable research experiences at renowned institutions such as Fraunhofer (ICT, ITWM), Technical University of Brunswick (INES), and KIT (IAM-ET). As an Application Engineer at Gamma Technologies, Wilde leverages his extensive knowledge in battery simulation to support the transition to electrification. He specializes in supporting customers with advanced simulation techniques for battery swelling, calibration, and validation and [...]

Philipp Voss is a Research Associate at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB and a PhD candidate at the Institute of Business Chemistry, University of Münster, in the group of Prof. Simon Lux. His work focuses on the techno-economic and environmental assessment of lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery technologies, as well as their scale-up toward industrial manufacturing. He holds a BSc in Chemistry and an MSc in Business Chemistry. His previous research and industry experience includes roles at Berkeley Lab, Fraunhofer ISI, and Northvolt.

Vincent is heading the Transition Minerals, Metals and Battery industry team within BNP Paribas’ Low Carbon Transition Group (LCTG).  The team has built a unique sectorial expertise within the battery value chain covering established companies and startups and providing advisory services, debt arranging and private placements. Vincent has over 20 years of banking expertise in Paris and New York. Vincent graduated from HEC and is a CFA charterholder.

Somayeh Toghyani is a PhD engineer with a strong background in electrochemical energy storage systems and more than six years of dedicated experience in battery modeling. She serves as a Senior Battery Application Engineer at GT, focusing on physics-based battery modeling, next generation of batteries, and the integration of physics informed models with machine learning. Her battery expertise began in 2020 during her postdoctoral research at the Institute of Applied Materials – Electrochemical Technology in Karlsruhe, where she worked on all solid-state batteries.

25 years in the battery industry. Expertises in battery technologies for storage and mobilities Cell's selection/characterization and sourcing (electrical and safety). Market survey. Engineer & project leader for batteries and charging systems electronic. Customer oriented. Member of IEC TC21/21A and TC40.