Industry veterans honoured with the International Lead Award

Dick Amistadi and Michael Mayer have been honoured with the International Lead Award for a lifetime of service to the lead industry.

For the first time there were two winners, both presented with their awards at the ILA’s 14th European Lead Battery Conference (14ELBC), in Edinburgh, today. 

Each year the Award is presented to someone who has made a significant contribution to science and practice in areas such as lead production and recycling, lead alloy development, or battery design and performance.

Dick Amistadi is the Principal of Amistadi Associates LLC, a battery and materials consultancy firm and spent more than 36 years in sales, marketing and strategic planning at Doe Run.

Mr Amistadi was Chairman of the Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium (ALABC) from 1992 until 2005, where he was a passionate advocate of its work and continues to follow all types of battery development as it relates to hybrid and electric vehicles. Since 2012 he has been Chairman and President of the Association of Battery Recyclers in the US.

Michael Mayer has worked for the lead acid battery industry for most of his life. In 1988, he launched the European Lead Battery Conference which has grown from small beginnings to a regular attendance of the order of 700 delegates, together with 100 exhibitors.  

Mr Mayer spent many years with battery companies in the UK and the USA and joined the Lead Development Association (now the International Lead Association) in 1979.  He formed the Electric Boat Association in 1985.

Accepting the award Mr Mayer said: “I am very happy to accept this award and I would like to thank all of the good friends I have made in the industry over the years.”

Presenting the award to Mr Amistadi, David Prengaman, a friend of his since University, said: “Today we honour an individual who has excelled in many aspects of the lead industry and has been an example of industry leadership and excellence.”

After accepting the award Mr Amistadi, told the audience: “I am proud to have been a part of the lead industry, the battery industry and the recycling industry.

“And this is an industry that is showing continued success with demand for lead batteries soaring to meet demand in Asia, in advanced batteries and in the renewable energy storage market.”

See also Michael Mayer obituary – October 2016