International Battery Metals appoints new CEO
International Battery Metals Ltd. [IBAT-CSE] has announced the appointment of Joseph A Mills as CEO and director of the company, effective April 7, 2025.
Mills has extensive experience in the oil and gas upstream, mid-stream and mineral businesses. Over his 40-plus-year career, he has closed numerous M&A transactions and has served as CEO of three public companies and two private exploration and production companies.
“I am pleased and honored to join International Battery Metals Ltd. and work with the board and its employees to further develop and enhance the company’s business strategy and execution at such a pivotal time in the company’s history,” Mills said. “This is a company with incredible potential, a strong foundation and a very talented team,’’ he said.
Mills succeeds Iris Jancik, who was named CEO of the company in August, 2024.
IBAT shares were unchanged at 55 cents on Tuesday. The shares currently trade in a 52-week range of 96 cents and 24 cents.
Back in July, 2004, International Battery said it had commenced operations of its commercial proprietary modular direct lithium extraction (DLE) plant in Utah. The company said the announcement was an industry landmark, representing lithium produced from the only modular DLE operation in the world and the first commercial DLE operation in North America.
The commercial facility outside Salt Lake City, Utah, is co-located at the operations of US Magnesium LLC (US Mag) and is extracting lithium from a byproduct magnesium chloride/lithium chloride brine derived from historic magnesium production.
IBAt’s modular DLE system, currently situated on about one-acre, is in production and providing lithium chloride to U.S. Mag. IBAT has been working to expand production by installing additional columns on the same DLE modular platform with a target of significantly increasing capacity.
“This achievement is momentous for IBAT and a harbinger for an industry-transformation to significantly boost lithium production on a more cost-effective and sustainable basis, clearing the path for supplies of lower priced, high-quality lithium for EV batteries and large-scale backup battery installations,’’ said John Burba, founder and chief technology officer at IBAT. “This kicks off a U.S. lithium production, renaissance and creates the potential for a sea change in global lithium supplies.”
IBAT’s DLE technology is based on proprietary lithium extraction housed in patented extraction towers that are enclosed in a modular shippable platform that can be loaded and brought into production within 10 days of arrival at the customer site.
The company said its technology has been verified to extract more than 97% of available lithium from brine using no chemicals and with a water recovery rate of up to 98% via a closed-loop recycling system based on a third party-review of the Smackover extraction operations.