Battery technology company Sila is strengthening its leadership team as it moves toward gigascale US manufacturing, promoting Chris Dougher to chief operating officer and bringing in industry veteran Gwen Hsu as vice president of product.
The appointments come as Sila prepares for its next phase of expansion, with ambitions to transform its silicon-carbon (Si/C) anode technology business into a global manufacturing operation producing hundreds of tons per day.
Sila says it has spent seven years developing its core technology and another eight years scaling production of its Titan Silicon anode material. The company has increased production from grams per batch to tons per batch and is now focused on dramatically increasing output to meet growing demand.
Dougher, who joined Sila nine years ago, will oversee Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Capital Projects, Quality, Planning and Industrial Engineering in his new role.
He has played a central role in establishing Sila’s Alameda production facility and leading the staffing, construction and management of its Moses Lake, Washington, manufacturing operation.
Before joining Sila, Dougher spent 11 years at PPG Industries, where he was responsible for building and managing manufacturing facilities.
"Chris has been a force of nature at Sila, defined by a relentless drive for operational excellence, and a talent for building world-class teams," said Gene Berdichevsky, Sila Co-founder and CEO. "As we accelerate into our next phase of giga-scale production, Chris will be the engine driving our success internally while showcasing Sila’s powerhouse capabilities to the global stage."
Dougher holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, along with a Master of Environmental Management and a Master of Business Administration from Duke University.
Sila is also bringing in Hsu as VP, Product, adding more than two decades of product-management experience in the electronics industry.
Her background includes leading multidisciplinary R&D teams and working across OEM, ODM and contract-manufacturing models in both B2B and B2C markets.
"Batteries are foundational to the world's most critical industries and Sila’s technology makes every one of them better. Defining and executing a product strategy that delivers maximum impact isn't just an advantage for Sila, it's pivotal to our growth and our mission. Gwen’s seasoned product leadership and deep, practical grasp of the global supply chain ecosystem are exactly what we need to execute this vision, scale our impact, and serve our customers as we manage this new phase of growth,” said Berdichevsky.
Hsu holds an MBA from National Taiwan University and a BA in International Trade from National Chengchi University.
At Sila, she will help drive anode and new-product initiatives while working with the executive team on product strategy and go-to-market decisions.
