InnoEnergy welcomes Emma Nehrenheim as the new Managing Director of the European Battery Alliance
Emma Nehrenheim has been appointed as the new Managing Director of the European Battery Alliance (EBA), an initiative led by InnoEnergy under the mandate of the European Commission. With over two decades of experience in environmental engineering and battery manufacturing, Nehrenheim brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her new role.
Nehrenheim's mission is to build a battery industry in Europe that is shaped by European standards, driven by innovation, and powered by industrial strength. This is crucial for Europe to remain a competitive player in mobility in the short, medium, and long term, as the EBA aims to grow Europe’s battery sector to represent 8% of the continent’s GDP by 2030, unlocking €300 billion in economic value and creating one million jobs.
Prior to her role at Northvolt Materials, where she contributed significantly to scaling battery production and shaping the EU’s pioneering Battery Regulation, Nehrenheim held a professorship in environmental engineering and led research on industrial waste and water treatment. Her deep industrial experience and sustainability expertise will be instrumental in steering Europe’s strategic vision for battery manufacturing.
Thore Sekkenes, who led the industrial stream of the EBA for over six years, played a crucial role in its transformation into an industrial force. Sekkenes will remain actively involved, supporting the initiative and ensuring a smooth transition as the EBA enters its next phase under Nehrenheim’s leadership. The EBA, under Nehrenheim’s leadership and alongside the InnoEnergy team and the EBA ecosystem, aims to emerge as winners in the global battery market challenge.
The European battery industry is facing intensifying global competition, particularly from Asia where scale and production capacity have surged over the past decade. With limited access to markets such as the US and lower-than-expected domestic demand, surplus supply from Asia is increasingly directed toward the European market. Nehrenheim emphasizes not just building a battery industry, but establishing a European battery industry shaped by European standards, innovation, and industrial strength.
InnoEnergy is the organization under the mandate of the European Commission that leads the European Battery Alliance. The EBA, under Thore's leadership, has played a central role in shaping Europe’s battery ecosystem, now comprising over 800 companies across the entire value chain. As the EBA enters its next phase, under Nehrenheim’s leadership, it is poised to continue driving Europe’s ambitions in the battery sector, ensuring a competitive and sustainable future for the continent.
[1] European Commission. (2021). European Battery Alliance. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/strategy/priorities-partnerships-actions/europe-s-green-deal/missions/missions-launched-2020/european-battery-alliance_en
[2] InnoEnergy. (2021). About us. Retrieved from https://innoenergy.com/about-us
[3] Northvolt. (2021). About us. Retrieved from https://www.northvolt.com/about-us
[4] Nehrenheim, E. (2025, March 1). Speech at the EBA Annual Conference. Retrieved from https://www.european-battery-alliance.com/news/nehrenheim-speech-eba-annual-conference-2025
- Under Nehrenheim's leadership, the European Battery Alliance (EBA) aims to establish a competitive European battery industry, not just in terms of production, but also by leveraging European standards, innovation, and industrial strength in the technology sector.
- With the aim of growing Europe’s battery sector to represent 8% of the continent’s GDP by 2030, Nehrenheim's mission for the EBA also includes unlocking €300 billion in economic value and creating one million jobs, with a significant emphasis on finance and business to drive this growth.
