Leadership

“We have a fundamental opportunity before us in electric transportation to change the heart of the vehicle – the motor. I am convinced that Dow Kokam can help the industry make great strides forward through a full-package solution – from proven technology, to rapid manufacturing scale-up, to strategic alliances.”
– Ravi Shanker

Ravi Shanker is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Dow Kokam. Shanker led the team that created the Dow Kokam joint venture, and has many years of experience building, growing and running businesses with The Dow Chemical Company.

Shanker first joined Dow in 1991 and has primarily focused on growing Dow’s business via new product and new business development. Starting in the research department, he focused on developing new manufacturing processes. Shanker also supported the office of the Chief Executive in strategy development for near- and long-term business opportunities in emerging geographies, as well as in the role of Business Director of Specialty Plastics in the Performance Products Portfolio. Before assuming his role with Dow Kokam, Shanker served as Corporate Director of Ventures & Business Development, where he incubated a portfolio of innovative business opportunities for Dow, driving many to commercialization.

Shanker holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Delaware and a B. Tech. in mechanical engineering from B.I.T. Sindri, in India. He also has an MBA from the University of Houston.

Kelly (Schadel) Arnold earned her Juris Doctorate from Michigan State University School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude in 1997. From 1997 until 2002, Arnold was an associate at the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP. Arnold joined The Dow Chemical Company’s Special Litigation Group in 2002 where she was responsible for managing hundreds of cases in the eastern and southern regions of the United States. In 2006, Arnold joined Dow’s Business Law Group where she provided global support to numerous Dow businesses and both domestic and international projects. Arnold joined Dow Kokam LLC as General Counsel in 2009. Prior to her legal career, Arnold held positions in business management in private companies.

Clark Dressen is the Director of Enterprise Information Technology for Dow Kokam including responsibility for the enterprise applications, networks and systems.

Dressen joined The Dow Chemical Company in 1988 in Freeport, Texas as an Electrical Engineer with Information Systems (I/S). In 1997, he moved to Sydney, Australia, to assume responsibility for the Pacific portion of the global organization. He moved back to Houston in 2001 as Director of Information Technology for the Univation Joint Venture. In 2004, he relocated to Midland and took a role as the Senior Director of the Information Research organization in R&D. Dressen accepted his current position as Senior Director of Enterprise IT in April, 2010.

Dressen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Northwood University.

Dressen is married to wife Kenda and has two children.

"In this emerging but already competitive industry of Advanced Battery Systems, the winners will be those who can fit the advanced materials properties with the requirements and constraints of the targeted applications, while building a sustainable industry out of that technical challenge. The 1,000,000 km on-road experience led by DOW KOKAM with end-users has been the key to develop CLEANBAT™ cutting edge technology in battery thermal management and BMS and bring the best of materials towards automotive application.”
– Jean-Francois Herchin

Jean-François Herchin is President and CEO of Dow Kokam France, leading the development of Dow Kokam solutions in the French and European market according to Dow Kokam’s policy.

Herchin joined Dow Kokam France (formerly Société de Véhicules Electriques) in 2004, in order to strengthen the developments made since its establishment in 2002 and launch the ADEME/PREDIT experimentation program (40 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles tested by large corporate fleets). Herchin served successively as a Program Manager (2004), Managing Director (2007) and Chairman and CEO (2008). He initiated SVE major technological partnerships, managed SVE expansion and coordinated the work of fifty skilled engineers who developed the Cleanova™ Energy System, based on the ADEME/PREDIT experimentation results and designed to be integrated into any architecture of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Previously, Herchin spent 25 years in the Rhone-Poulenc/Rhodia Group, from which he acquired management experience, especially as a project manager and as a plant manager dedicated to advanced materials and high technology processes. He worked with international leaders such as Du Pont de Nemours and Lyondell, and spent three years in Korea.

Herchin is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale des Industries Chimiques de Nancy.

Joon Kim is Vice President of Technology at Dow Kokam LLC. As one of the founders, and later Chief Technology Officer (CTO), of Kokam America, Kim was instrumental in the early stage development of Kokam Superior Lithium Polymer Battery (SLPB) technology, and he provided oversight for SLPB technology transfer when the 8ah cell production line was installed at Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

Prior to founding Kokam America Inc. in 2005, Kim held several leadership positions in the industry. He was Vice President of Li-ion Battery Sales and Marketing at EaglePicher Inc. in Phoenix, Arizona, and also played a leadership role at Sion Power Corporation in Tucson, Arizona, where he was responsible for the development of the Li-S rechargeable battery.

Kim’s research background includes serving as a staff research associate at Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, working on materials for lithium rechargeable batteries. In addition, he was Director of the Corporate R&D Analytical Laboratory at LG Chemical in Korea, leading research and development of polymers, surface/interface phenomena and sol gel chemistry.

Kim holds a Ph.D. in chemistry with emphasis in electrochemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B.S. cum laude in chemistry from Seoul National University, Korea.

Jeff Kostos is the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Defense & Industrial business for Dow Kokam. In 2005 Kostos co-founded Kokam America Inc. and, along with his two partners, helped lead the efforts to establish the Kokam brand as the premium energy storage solution in demanding applications such as the U.S. DOD, medical, oil and gas, and other industrial markets, and helped lead the establishment of one of the first lithium polymer manufacturing facilities in the U.S.

Kostos has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of energy storage and energy management, both domestically and internationally, in the areas of business development, operations, marketing, sales management, and design engineering. Kostos began his professional career as a design engineer for a refrigeration company, where he received five patents. Kostos then joined GNB Technologies in 1991 as Engineering Manager prior to moving to International Marketing Manager and then to Director European Business Development. After moving to Belgium, he led the establishment of GNB’s European headquarters, several sales offices, and a production facility in France. Kostos was a key factor in GNB’s overall EMEA expansion from less than $3M to more than $34M in less than five years. In 2000, he joined EnerSys as President of European Operations and led a dual strategy of organic growth and growth through acquisition, prior to moving back to the U.S. as Vice President of Sales and Marketing to lead EnerSys’ $180M North American Reserve Power business unit.

Kostos holds a BSME from Bradley University, an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago, and is a graduate of the Executive Development Program at the University of Melbourne.

David Pankratz is the Vice President of Operations for Dow Kokam. This includes responsibility for Manufacturing, Engineering, EH&S, Quality, and Supply Chain.

Pankratz joined The Dow Chemical Company in 1981 in manufacturing as a production engineer in polyethylene in Plaquemine, Louisiana. He has worked in various manufacturing and management positions in a number of businesses and locations. His business and technology experiences include Polyethylene, Engineering Plastics, Agricultural Chemicals, Plastic Films, Building and Construction, and Licensing and Catalyst. He was named Business Manufacturing Leader for Plastic Films and Laminates in 1996 and Director of Business Excellence and Six Sigma for Fabricated Products in 2000. He moved to Technology Center Director / Business Manufacturing Leader for Licensing and Catalyst in 2004 and added Site Leader responsibility for Dow’s Seadrift Texas Operations in 2006. Pankratz accepted his current position as VP of Operations, Dow Kokam in November, 2009.

Pankratz received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan. He has completed executive education programs through the “Indiana Partnership” at Indiana University and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France.

Pankratz is married to wife Anne and has three children.

John Pham is the Vice President, Finance and Treasurer of Dow Kokam. Pham, along with his finance team, provides financial system design and compliance, funds flow management and strategic financial analysis.

Previously, Pham served as Finance Director for Ventures and Business Development, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company. Pham joined Dow Chemical in 1989 and performed many functions there, including economic analysis, purchasing and business analysis, before his role with Ventures and Business Development. Pham joined Dow’s Growth Center in 1998, working on the automotive growth initiative. After the project was completed in 1999, Pham managed the Polystyrene Business as Finance Director. In 2004 Pham joined Dow Ventures which later became Dow Ventures and Business Development.

John holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and a master’s degree in Business Administration, both from the University of Idaho.

"Success in vehicle electrification will be won by those with the vision and ability to relentlessly invest in advancing battery performance and never take their eye off development of the next innovation to meet their customers’ needs. This laser focus on innovation is exactly what Dow Kokam was created upon."
– Ravi Ramanathan

Ravi Ramanathan is Vice President of Business and Geographic Development for Dow Kokam, with responsibility for strategy and business development in vehicle electrification. He also works with the U.S. government to ensure ongoing support for advanced battery research and development.

Previously, Ramanathan served as Director of Global Business Development for Dow Automotive Systems, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), where he initiated and led Dow’s entry strategy across key segments of the energy storage value chain, including the formation of Dow Kokam. He originally joined Dow in 1989 and held several positions in advanced research, manufacturing and product development.

Ramanathan holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Louisville in Kentucky, and completed his post-doctoral work at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

"When a company invests in an electrification program, irrespective of the application – automotive, industrial applications or utility – they are looking for a battery manufacturer who can turn that investment into a long-term and commercially viable business and provide continued competitive advantage to them. Dow Kokam has all of the elements needed to do just that."
– Chuck Reardon

Chuck Reardon is the Commercial Vice President of Dow Kokam with responsibility for marketing, sales and customer program management.

Reardon previously served as Business Director of Options Development for Ventures & Business Development, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), where he led the team responsible for incubating the Advanced Battery Solutions business for Dow and was a leading contributor on the implementation team responsible for creating Dow Kokam. He brings 20 years of business experience from various sales, marketing and business management roles in Dow.

Reardon holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Virginia. He has completed executive education programs at the University of Indiana, Thunderbird University and the H. H. Dow Academy.

"We’re not just creating a new business; we’re helping to create a new industry – one that will help make transportation cleaner and more sustainable than ever before. I’m excited to be a part of building that future."
– Kristina Schnepf

Kristina Schnepf is Director of Branding and Corporate Affairs for Dow Kokam, responsible for external and internal communications and market positioning. Previously, she served as Global Communications Leader for Ventures & Business Development, a product and business incubator for The Dow Chemical Company. Schnepf developed and implemented communications strategies for new product and venture launches, including Dow Kokam.

Schnepf joined Dow in 1991 and has provided global marketing communications support for a number of Dow’s businesses. Schnepf has also led numerous corporate-wide marketing communications efforts for Dow.

Schnepf holds a communications degree from Michigan State University.