Eckhard Karden and Mark Stevenson recognised by prestigious industry award 

Eckhard Karden, Technical Specialist, Ford Research and Innovation Centre, and Mark Stevenson, Technical Director at Global Lead Technologies, have received the prestigious International Lead Award recognising their exceptional contributions to the lead and lead battery industries. 

The awards were presented at ELBC2022, the international lead battery innovation conference in Lyon, France. 

Eckhard Karden is at the forefront of innovation in lead batteries for the automotive industry. As a direct result of his work, the performance of automotive lead batteries has significantly improved and he is widely respected for his expertise and experience across the industry. 

His specialist input and guidance has ensured that advanced lead batteries continue to play a vital role in vehicles around the world. He is a respected educator and mentor to aspiring young academics and technicians in the lead battery field. And he is the driving force behind the highly successful automotive technical battery meetings working with the Consortium for Battery Innovation, where he brings together technical and academic experts to ensure continuous improvement and excellence in automotive lead battery technology.   

Presenting the Award, Norbert Maleschitz, Chief Technology Officer, East Penn Manufacturing, said: 

“Eckhard’s work on dynamic charge acceptance and micro-hybrid developments has significantly influenced the lead battery industry and resulted in multiple improvements. His guidance is inspirational and key to future advanced lead batteries.”

On receiving the award, Mr Karden said: “I am deeply honored to receive this prestigious award. Together with the engineers in my company and across the industry, I have tried to provide guidance about changing requirements to automotive batteries, and to identify needs for innovation, research and improved measurement methods. It has been, and still is, rewarding to work with senior experts and talented researchers in the battery and materials industry, as well as at research institutes and test laboratories.”

Mark Stevenson was recognised for a lifetime’s exceptional service to the lead and lead battery industries as well as his role founding the Asian Battery Conference and International Secondary Lead Conference. 

Mr Stevenson has more than forty years’ experience in the lead industry, covering nearly all facets of the mining, smelting, refining and end-use of the element.  He started his career with Simsmetal in Australia in 1980 and worked throughout Australasia and Asia, including for Nyrstar and Ecobat Technologies.  He is now an independent consultant.  

During his career Mr Stevenson has been a passionate contributor to global efforts to improve the lead industry’s environmental performance and battery technology development through organisations such as the International Lead Association.  

Presenting the award, Doug Lambert, President of Sales and Technology, of Wirtz Manufacturing said: “In a long and impressive career his in-depth metallurgical knowledge and his tireless work supporting lead and its uses has been of enormous benefit to the industry.”

After receiving the award, Mr Stevenson commented, “I am truly honoured that I have been awarded the Lead Medal and thank the Awards Committee and Lead Industry. Our industry often faces huge challenges, whether new battery chemistries, smelting techniques or environmental tasks. My career highlights and pleasures have been working and collaborating with many great colleagues and friends to solve these challenges. I hope that as those have helped me over the years, I can continue to give back and share that knowledge with the upcoming people in the industry.”