Stefan is Director of External Affairs at SQM, focusing on the company’s engagement with all stakeholders of the global EV battery value chain. He joined SQM in 2005 as lithium and iodine Sales Director Asia-Pacific and witnessed firsthand the boom in lithium-ion battery production in Asia and the emerging electrification of transportation in China. He earned a master's degree in commercial engineering from the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) in 1997 and an Executive MBA from Vlerick Business School in Belgium in 2021. Prior to joining SQM in 2005, he held a variety of international commercial roles in different listed companies.