Christelle Debaudre is a veteran of the automotive industry with 25 years of international experience in various roles, including Engineering, Program Management, Sales, and Business Development, at leading automotive companies.

 

She studied mechanics at the Supméca Engineering School in Paris and obtained her Mechanical Engineering degree in 1999 with a specialization in Materials.

 

She began her career in 1999 at DELPHI GM in Indiana, USA as a Manufacturing Engineer before joining the European Technical Center as a project manager and materials engineering leader. 

She created and led the Materials Engineering team to support all product lines of the DELPHI Energy and Engine division. She developed and validated cost-driven solutions up to the point of signing blueprints — yes, at that time, it was a hand signature on paper.

 

She became increasingly engaged with customers, including BMW, OPEL, and PSA, and decided to change her perspective by moving from Engineering to Sales and Business Development.

 

In 2007, she joined the leading Tier 1 IEE. As Global Key Account Manager for French OEMs, she had the opportunity of a lifetime: to set up and manage the worldwide strategy for RENAULT / NISSAN / SAMSUNG, and PSA STELLANTIS.

Her team developed and sold new sensor products, as well as hardware and software in the fields of safety, occupant monitoring, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous driving, and electric vehicles (EV).

 

She managed the P&L and remarkably grew the account by 400%, selling 3.5 million product units per year, mainly in Europe, Morocco, China, Korea, and South America.

At the same time, Christelle launched exciting business activities in India with TATA and MAHINDRA. She has remained deeply in love with Indian culture (and food!) ever since.

 

Since 2018, she has leveraged her technical and sales expertise by providing outstanding business development and sourcing support to international automotive suppliers looking to start or grow their business in Europe, with a focus on the fast-growing lithium-ion battery sector.

 

She has a proven track record of success in Li-Ion, having represented A123 at RENAULT, as well as EnerDel (cells, modules, and packs) and Dukosi (wireless BMS) on a global scale in Europe.

 

Currently serving as the Director of Business Development Europe at 6K Energy, she supports the European OEMs and cell manufacturers in their need for cost-effective, sustainable, and high-performance Cathode Active Materials.