Compact Power Appoints Patil as CEO

The board of directors of Compact Power, Inc. (CPI) has named Dr. Prabhakar Patil chief executive officer. CPI is a subsidiary of LG Chem Ltd., Korea’s largest lithium-ion battery manufacturer.

“Dr. Patil’s technical expertise and industry experience are of great benefit to LG Chem as we expand our hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) battery customer base,” said Dr. M.H. Kim, LG Mobile Energy vice president.

As CEO, Dr. Patil will also co-direct teams in Korea and restructure development and production departments into those capable of delivering automotive battery packs to customers worldwide.

“The experience gained over the past five years with lithium batteries at LG Chem makes us an excellent choice for automakers requiring battery packs,” said Dr. Patil.

Dr. Patil, age 55, retired from the Ford Motor Co. in September 2005 after 27 years there. He holds a bachelors’ degree from IIT Bombay, a masters of science in engineering and a Ph.D. in engineering from the University of Michigan.