APozA member, Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia (TLEA) has appointed Mr Raj Surendran as their new Chief Executive Officer, a joint venture between global lithium producer Tianqi Lithium Corporation and Australian miner IGO Limited.

Mr Surendran joined TLEA in 2019 as General Finance Manager before being appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) in September 2021 following the newly formed joint venture. 

As COO, he led the Kwinana team to a significant milestone with the development of the first battery-grade lithium in May 2022 - the first time the material had been produced in Australia in commercial quantities. To learn more about this achievement, click here.

TLEA owns 100 per cent of the Kwinana lithium hydroxide refinery and 51 per cent of the Talison Lithium Mine, in Greenbushes, Western Australia: the world’s largest and highest quality hard rock lithium deposit.

Bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise, Mr Surendran is a highly experienced senior executive with over 20 years of experience in finance, business development, strategy, project management and commercial leadership in Australia.

Mr Surendran has held senior finance positions with Aurizon, Wesfarmers, BGC Australia and DUET Group (Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline). 

The appointment follows the resignation of Yasmin Liu, who led TLEA in its first year, establishing the new joint venture partnership.

The Board has announced their gratitude to Ms Liu for her outstanding leadership, and for her guidance and support of the executive team during this time, while they commissioned the new, Australian-first, lithium hydroxide plant in Kwinana.

To learn more about Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia (TLEA), you can visit their official website.