European Metals Holdings Limited (ASX:EMH) has boosted its global team with the appointment of American Ambassador Lincoln Palmer Bloomfield, Jr as a Non-Executive Director of the company.
Ambassador Bloomfield is based in Washington, DC, and brings governance and regulatory experience, years of international diplomacy and security expertise to the EMH Board, along with a North American presence while his private sector experience is centred on sustainability, resilience and renewable energy.
The European Commission has proposed an ambitious policy based on four key components:
- the Batteries Regulation,
- Strategic Action Plan on Batteries;
- the European Green Deal; and
- the Circular Economy Action Plan.
There is no comparable strategy elsewhere aimed at instituting such a profound regulatory effort to halt the damaging effects of climate change.
Ambassador Bloomfield’s prior work in developing the US Government’s first international policy on Cyber Security, and his related work on Critical Infrastructure Protection will help EMH and downstream partners operate securely for many years. His deep experience in managing bilateral relationships with both the State Department and the Department of Defense will help EMH sustain effective relationships, both governmental and non-governmental.
European Metals Executive Chairman, Keith Coughlan, said Ambassador Bloomfield will support EMH in its key relationships with the European Community, European Battery Alliance, European Raw Metals Alliance, and others seeking to create a highly secure, uniform and resilient framework for batteries and critical raw materials supply.
We are delighted to have Lincoln join the board of European Metals. His experience working within the security apparatus of the US Government under three presidents and five administrations will bring critical know-how in dealing with security issues and strategic planning,” Mr Coughlan said.
“He will deepen the Board’s understanding of environmental threats and emerging resource security concerns having potential national, regional and global impacts. With more than 80 per cent of the world’s Lithium Hydroxide being processed in China, Lincoln’s skillset will augment EMH’s vision to dramatically reduce current and future Lithium Hydroxide supply insecurity within the EU, including potentially supplying more than one quarter of the projected Lithium Hydroxide demand until 2030 based on the estimated European annual target production of 30 million electric vehicles.
“As the Cinovec asset is critical to European Lithium Hydroxide supply security, we welcome this expertise on the corporate team. Ambassador Bloomfield will also provide fresh insight into the US market at a time when European Metals has recently obtained its NASDAQ quotation.”
Mr Coughlan said Ambassador Bloomfield is a valuable addition as EMH is focused on ESG-related aspects of the critical raw materials and battery supply chain, as part of its commitment to support the European Commission’s new Batteries Regulation, a significant, far-reaching legislative development.
Ambassador Bloomfield’s appointment confirms EMH’s commitment to meet the new Batteries Regulation’s three main objectives: strengthening the functioning of the EU internal market by ensuring a level playing field through a common set of rules; promoting a circular economy; and reducing environmental and social impact throughout all stages of the battery life cycle.
Given the complexity of the new Batteries Regulation, EMH is reassured to know that he will be contributing to its efforts to achieve compliance throughout the organization.
Ambassador Bloomfield holds several roles in the private sector promoting sustainability. Having served for eight years until 2017 as Chairman of the non-partisan Stimson Center, he is now Stimson Chairman Emeritus. He is a Director and National Executive Committee Member of the U.S. Water Partnership, a public-private non-profit entity co-chaired by Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell.
He is a Director of the Detroit-based non-profit energy NGO The Last Kilometer, and Vice Chairman of Mana Pacific, a Honolulu-based enterprise seeking to provide locally-managed and affordable renewable energy microgrids throughout the Pacific islands. He provides expert policy and consulting services to three Washington DC entities including the law firm Akin Gump.
As President of Palmer Coates LLC, Lincoln maintains commercial relationships with startup entities developing innovative energy and transportation technologies, including as Advisor and investor in Seatrec, Inc. and President of an early-stage technology startup, called D3E, offering next-generation “optimal” flight control technology to enable robustness and autonomy in future drone aircraft.
