Michael White Joins Piedmont Lithium as Chief Financial Officer
Piedmont Lithium Inc., ("Piedmont" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:PLL, ASX: PLL))), a clean energy company focused on the integrated production of lithium hydroxide to support the U.S. electric vehicle supply chain, today announced the appointment of Michael White as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Reporting to the CEO, Keith Phillips, Mr. White brings deep accounting and finance experience to Piedmont, and will oversee the Company's financial accounting and reporting, budgeting and forecasting, internal controls, compliance, treasury, tax, and risk management functions.
"We're delighted to welcome Michael as our Chief Financial Officer and the newest member of our fast-growing leadership team," said CEO, Keith Phillips. "We are entering an exciting phase for Piedmont as we prepare to allocate capital and ramp-up physical operations of our integrated lithium hydroxide business in North Carolina. Michael's proven track record of developing and executing finance organizational strategy and solving complex business issues will be invaluable to us as we operate as a U.S. domiciled company. His background in controllership, corporate governance, public company reporting, financial planning and analysis and long-term strategic planning make him a great addition to our Piedmont family."
Mr. White joins Piedmont from ChampionX Corporation (NASDAQ:CHX), formerly Apergy Corporation (NYSE:APY), a multi-billion-dollar manufacturing, chemicals, and services company, where he served as Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Corporate Controller with responsibilities for leading the company's global accounting and financial reporting. In this role, Mr. White led enterprise-wide transformation of the global controllership function, created sustainable financial reporting with key performance metrics for operational leadership, and provided financial leadership related to mergers and acquisition activities, including a successful IPO. Prior to ChampionX, Mr. White held the position of Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Corporate Controller for Aegion Corporation (NASDAQ:AEGN), a global manufacturing and services company serving the industrial, oil and gas and water industries. Mr. White has held senior financial leadership positions throughout his 25-year career with companies primarily in the energy and technology sectors, including roles as Chief Financial Officer of Baker Energy and as a manager in the assurance practice with Ernst & Young.
Mr. White earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from the University of Houston and is a licensed CPA and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
About Piedmont:
Piedmont is developing a world-class integrated lithium business in the United States, enabling the transition to a net zero world and the creation of a clean energy economy in America. Our location in the renowned Carolina Tin Spodumene Belt of North Carolina, positions us to be one of the world's lowest cost producers of lithium hydroxide and the most strategically located to serve the fast-growing U.S. electric vehicle supply chain. The unique geographic proximity of our resources, production operations and prospective customers, places Piedmont on the path to be the most sustainable producer of lithium hydroxide in the world and allow Piedmont to play a pivotal role in supporting America's move to the electrification of transportation and energy storage. Additional information is available at www.piedmontlithium.com.
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