Cyclic Materials, an advanced metals recycling company focused on producing critical materials, today announced the appointment of Kunal Phalpher as a new advisory board member. Based in Ontario, Kunal will provide strategic guidance on the company’s commercial and business development strategy.
“As the world undergoes a crucial sustainable energy transition to reduce environmental impact, the need for innovative solutions to the finite supply of rare earth elements (REEs) continues to grow,” said Phalpher. “I look forward to helping scale operations of Cyclic Materials’ metal recycling technology, which supplies critical materials for electric vehicles, renewable energy solutions, transmission and distribution infrastructure and battery storage technologies.”
Phalpher is an experienced executive in the clean technology industry, with over 15 years of experience working across the renewable energy, battery production and battery materials industries. Most recently, Phalpher served as president of Li-Metal, an innovator in anode materials for next-generation batteries, responsible for a variety of corporate functions including commercial business and investor relations. Before Li-Metal, Phalpher helped scale the lithium-ion battery recycling company Li-Cycle from its infancy through the research, development and commercialization stages, serving as Chief Commercial Officer before transitioning to Chief Strategy Officer. At Li-Cycle, he managed top battery and automotive OEMs customer accounts and oversaw various functions including marketing and public relations, government relations, corporate development and ESG reporting.
“Since our time serving together on the board at Li-Cycle, Kunal has been a catalyst in business development—driving key partnerships,” said Ahmad Ghahreman, CEO and co-founder of Cyclic Materials. “We’re building a strong and diverse new Strategic Partnerships team to address the skyrocketing market for raw materials, identifying new sources of feedstock reaching end-of-life. With seasoned business development resources like Kunal and other dedicated industry professionals in our corner, we will rapidly scale our supply chain, ensuring greater access to REEs for innovators in need.”
In his new role on the advisory board, Phalpher will share his deep industry expertise in critical metals recycling, helping lead Cyclic Materials into its next phase of growth and impact. Earlier this year, Cyclic Materials announced its Series A led by Energy Impact Partners and BMW i Ventures. With the global market for REEs expected to increase three-fold by 2030, the company has worked to bring North America closer to a domestic supply chain for REEs—developing pilot plants and securing supply chain agreements with internationally recognized companies.
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