BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Francisco Carranza
Chief Executive
Francisco Carranza is the CEO of BASQUEVOLT, a startup focused on pioneering solid-state battery technology.
Founded in 2022, BASQUEVOLT aims to produce solid-state batteries using unique European technology by 2027, paving the way for widespread adoption of electric transportation, energy storage, and advanced portable devices.
With over 20 years of experience in the automotive sector, Francisco previously held key positions in multinational companies, including a role on the Executive Committee at ACC Automotive Cells. His expertise spans new business development, connected services, electric vehicle grid integration, and renewable energy generation.
Francisco holds engineering degrees from Escuela Superior de Ingenieros of Sevilla and IFP School, as well as MBAs from EM Lyon and Cranfield School of Management. Additionally, since 2017, he has served as a Visiting Lecturer at the London Business School, specializing in automotive electrification and environmental trends.
“We are proud to be part of the Upcell Alliance and to work together to create a unique European battery ecosystem, reducing the dependence on imported batteries, and ensuring a safer and greener energy future for our region.”
Olivier Colas
Director of Public Affairs, Strategic planning
Olivier Colas is Director of Public Affairs at Blue Solutions, a subsidiary of the Bolloré Group, with the objective to promote the solid-state batteries, designed and manufactured by Blue Solutions in France and Canada.
He joined the Bolloré Group in 2012 after working for several years at Ernst & Young as a Senior Manager in charge of sustainable development and previously at IBM as head of the High-Performance Computing department.
He is a board member of several organizations such as “Recharge” and BEPA in Europe and of the French “Comité Stratégique de Filière des Nouveaux Systèmes Energétiques” (New Energy Systems Strategic Committee).
He is a graduate in engineering from ESIEA in Paris.
“As the Director of Public Affairs at Blue Solutions, a leading solid-state battery manufacturer, our mission is to usher the world into a cleaner, more efficient future. Every kilometer traveled being a step toward sustainability resonates with the company’s commitment to innovation, environmental responsibility, and advancement of green technology. This forward-thinking approach not only aligns with our goals but also serves as a call to action for the industry to prioritize sustainability in every facet of operation.”
Adrian Spillmann
Head of Business Unit Battery Solutions,
Grinding and Dispersing Technologies
- 2004: Master in Process Engineering, ETH Zurich
- 2008: PhD in Process Engineering, ETH Zurich (Doctoral Thesis: “Flowability Modification of Fine Powders by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition”)
- 2008-2012: Project Manager, Corporate Technology, Bühler AG, Uzwil, Switzerland (New materials and processes for the manufacturing of batteries and photovoltaics, novel food processes based on electromagnetic waves)
- 2012-2013: Project Manager, New Technologies Advanced Materials Division, Bühler AG, Uzwil Switzerland (Business and technology development for mid-term-related activities)
- 2014-2022: Head of Market Segment Battery Solutions, Grinding and Dispersing Technologies, Bühler AG, Uzwil, Switzerland
“As a co-founder of the upcell Alliance, Bühler is convinced collaboration among all stakeholders along the LIB value chain is key to boost the efficiency of LIB manufacturing and accelerate the innovation for next generation battery technologies.”
Truls Johansen
Director of Strategy
CSO
Truls is co-founder and Director of Strategy for Elinor Batteries. His career has been focused on strategy, design and development for large organizations both in the private and public sectors in Norway.
He holds an MSc of Industrial Design Engineering and a BSc of Informatics from the Norwegian Technical University NTNU, where he also lectures Strategic Design in an executive masters programme.
“The Elinor team has been engaged in Industrial Clusters for years, and that is why we were extraordinarily impressed by UpCell. UpCell is definitely a best practice example among industrial clusters, so professionally coordinated and creating such a high degree of member engagement and motivation. In retrospect, when we reach 2030 and look back, I believe UpCell should be one of the top five reasons for the existence of a thriving and profitable European Battery Industry.”
Thierry Valot
Group Innovation & Digital Director
After graduating from Ecole des Ponts Paristech, Thierry Valot started his career at PSA (now Stellantis) and Mazars audit firm, before joining Fives in 1997 as financial controller. He has held several executive management positions in the automotive and glass divisions of Fives.
Since septembre 2019, Thierry Valot is the head of Innovation & Digital at group level. He is also in charge of the “Vitrines de l’Industrie du Futur” committee for Alliance Industrie du Futur, and pilot of the Electric Vehicule Batteries project of Solutions Industries du Futur industrial alliance.
“UpCell, a unique opportunity to build the European Battery ecosystem, gathering both Gigafactories and solutions providers.”
Michel Terré
Full Professor
Michel Terré began his career as an engineer (Télécom Sud Paris 1987, PhD Cnam 1995, HDR Paris XIII 2004) in industry (Philips, Thalès, Alcatel) from 1988 to 1998. He then joined higher education (Full Professor in electronics at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers). Michel Terré was at the head of the Cnam engineering school for 10 years and then chaired the Cnam Training Council. He was President of HESAM University from 2020 to 2024, which included 15 institutions with more than 115,000 students. His research topics are related to signal processing for telecommunications and the evolution of mobile phone standards, with a particular focus on the optimization of energy consumption of radiocommunication systems. Michel Terré chairs the awards committee of the French Society of Electricity, Electronics, Information and Communication Technologies (SEE associated with IEEE).
“Upcell Alliance is an incredible initiative where industrial and academic partners come together to discuss all the issues related to the manufacture of EV batteries.”
Michel Popovic
General Manager
COMING SOON !
Claude Laperiere
Director Global Battery Business IA
Automation engineer, entrepreneur, creative and passionate.
With 25 years of experience in the world of machine builders and the industry, I possess strong skills in business development, strategy, and networking. The mastermind behind the Upcell Alliance and the ‘Ensemble’ turnkey supplier ideas.
Today, I lead the global business for Industrial Automation -powered batteries at Schneider Electric.
“Together we will achieve a strong, innovative, and sustainable industry.”
Gilles Moreau
Chief Open Innovation
Sustainability Officer
A passionate entrepreneur in the field of energy storage and electrochemistry, Gilles is a former project manager at the CEA who worked on various Lithium-ion battery projects at national and European level. Previously, he was an expert in fuel cells at 3M and Renault. He is co-founder of Verkor, today Director of Sustainable Development and one of the initiator of the Battery School project and Upcell Alliance.
“As Henry ford once said, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself”. Upcell will be the catalyst of this collaboration spirit that is key for EU battery ecosystem.”
Alice Florent
Chief Technology Officer
After completing a doctorate in fundamental physics in Paris at the Ecole Polytechnique, Alice Florent spent 5 years as a researcher at the University of California Los Angeles followed by 3 years as senior scientist at CERN in Geneva. She was a leading associate of an international collaborative project involving over 2000 researchers from more than 35 countries. Following this early career foundation in a highly demanding, collaborative and innovative environment, Alice left academia in January 2023 for industry, joining Scantech, a privately owned French enterprise, as Chief Technical Officer. Scantech was founded some 30 years ago by two nuclear physicists from CERN and is recognized as the leading supplier of measurement and control systems to the polymer film extrusion market. Thanks to its talented R&D team, its international presence, and an unerring ambition to continuously innovate and improve, Scantech is today a key player in the energy materials (electrode and Fuel Cell CCM), where sophisticated and ever demanding measurement and control solutions are a necessity. Joining and becoming a key member of the Upcell alliance was the natural path for Alice and Scantech since many of the same values are shared including collaboration, innovation, perseverance and internationality..
“When people collaborate to build and progress in the same direction, there is no limit to what can be achieved. Upcell is our opportunity to eliminate any obstacles that may hinder the battery industry and contribute together to this exciting journey in energy transition!”
