QuantumScape Taps Former Western Digital Veteran to Lead Technology and Manufacturing Teams

QuantumScape Corp QS roped in Dr. Siva Sivaram, President of Western Digital Corp WDC and a semiconductor and data storage industry veteran, to the newly created role of President.

Dr. Sivaram will head QuantumScape's technology and manufacturing groups as the company transitions from R&D to production.

QuantumScape's former vice president of manufacturing, Clayton Patch, left the company in March. 

Patch Celina Mikolajczak, the Panasonic Holdings Corp PCRFY veteran who oversaw manufacturing at QuantumScape for a little over a year, Bloomberg reports.

Last week, QuantumScape announced it shipped updated prototype unit cells to automotive customers, locked in on the ~5 amp-hour QSE-5 cell as its target first commercial product, revealed it was working with a prospective launch customer on QSE-5, and completed equipment installation for its new fast separator production process.

Dr. Sivaram said: "The combination of QuantumScape's disruptive technology, world-class team, and the massive market for next-gen batteries makes this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

Most recently, Dr. Sivaram has served as the President of Technology and Strategy at Western Digital, a leader in the data storage sector, where he led corporate strategy and technology.

Price Action: QS shares traded lower by 1.43% at $13.13 on the last check Tuesday.