Ross Kiddie joins as North American General Manager

We’re delighted to welcome veteran of the US energy industry, Ross Kiddie as Altelium’s North American General Manager, to lead the roll out of our pioneering insurance products in support of the green energy transition across the US and Canada.

In the coming months, the Biden administration will invest nearly three billion to fund battery manufacturing projects, and figures from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) show that the US has already invested nearly $2bn in battery storage deployment making up a third of the world’s total investment value.

However, the safe application of batteries in first, second and end of life situations could be held back without the appropriate insurance products and risk mitigation strategies in place.

Ross will help change this across North America in his new role: “Insurance is the engine of investment, but it is traditionally based on historical data to estimate risk. We can’t wait for time to pass before we insure these batteries properly.  Altelium identified this conundrum years ago and has developed a fantastic solution.”

Ross is a well-known figure in the energy industry in the States with a twenty-five-year career in utilities including roles as CEO of energy software firm Envinta; President of K&S Energy Products, and a professional consultant to the industry.

His first-hand experience of utilities and grid issues will help him support customers with the insurance and risk mitigation they need to incorporate green energy into the grid profitably and securely.

“What excites me about this role is the impact it can have on decarbonizing our future. I’ve been motivated by the desire to leave the world a better place for the next generation throughout my working life and this role will help me do that at a critical moment in history. I’m thrilled to join Altelium and help companies in the US and Canada involved in the manufacture, integration or application of electric battery cells benefit from bespoke insurance solutions.”

Ross continues: “Data and analytics is part of the decarbonised future.  Only a handful of companies in the world possess the depth of data and knowledge required to offer third party insured warranties on electric battery cells, and Altelium is one such company. Its combination of technical skills and Lloyds heritage is exactly what the industry needs.”

Charley Grimston, executive chairman of Altelium UK, speaking at the Energy Storage Summit which recently took place in in Austin, Texas US said:

“We’re delighted to welcome Ross to the team at Altelium as our leader across the US and Canada. He has a wealth of experience in the sector which will be invaluable to the business and is an energetic and motivated individual who can really help us and our client’s businesses grow. Discovering someone who shares both Scottish ancestry and has deep professional knowledge of the energy sector in North America is a rare, treasured find.”