Breathe Battery Technologies Appoints Laurent Cordonnier As CFO

Leading supplier of physics-based adaptive charging software for batteries, Breathe Battery Technologies (“Breathe”) has strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointment of Laurent Cordonnier into the role of Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately.

Reporting directly to CEO and co-founder Dr Ian Campbell, and working closely with fellow co-founders Dr Yan Zhao (CTO) and Professor Gregory Offer (Chief Scientist), Cordonnier’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for Breathe as the company positions itself for further expansion and industry leadership.

His extensive experience will contribute to the company’s growth trajectory, which can be seen through the announcement of recent partnerships with leading OEMs, including Volvo Cars.

In March, Breathe announced that Volvo Cars will implement the latest version of Breathe Charge adaptive charging software in its new generation fully electric cars. Breathe Charge will reduce the time it takes to charge an electric Volvo from 10 to 80% state of charge by as much as 30%*, while maintaining the same energy density and range.

As Breathe further scales its customer base, Cordonnier will play a central role in enabling the organisation to continue making batteries better.

Cordonnier has joined Breathe from private-equity backed technology companies Native Instruments and Deezer where he served as CFO to drive revenue growth, while also leading successful capital raises.

His experience at Native Instruments, which blends software, hardware and creativity to create experiences, positions him perfectly to drive similar outcomes for Breathe. Prior to that, Cordonnier was an investor at Access Industries and an investment banking associate at Morgan Stanley.

He has two decades of experience in financial leadership and as CFO of Breathe he is set to play a fundamental role as the company continues its expansion in response to intense demand.

Laurent Cordonnier, Chief Financial Officer, Breathe said: “I am excited and honored to join the team at Breathe. The company’s commitment to innovation and its potential to significantly impact the automotive and consumer electronics industries is truly extraordinary. I look forward to working closely with the founders Ian, Yan, Greg and the entire team as we embark on the next phase of growth and continue to deliver on our promise of creating remarkable end-user experiences through software-defined batteries.”

Dr Ian Campbell, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Breathe said: “We are delighted that Laurent has chosen to join Breathe as our CFO. This new appointment reflects the growing capability of Breathe to proactively address existing gaps in battery technology. We set out to make batteries better and Laurent’s wealth of experience has found fertile ground here as we expand our production programmes and further invest in technologies.”

Since its inception, Breathe’s focus has been on building battery technology to contribute to a faster, better and more sustainable electrification of the world. It exists to enable world-class OEMs to do more with the power they have, unlocking performance from existing batteries to deliver superior end-user experiences. Unlike traditional methods, Breathe’s adaptive battery charging software dynamically controls the battery in real-time with demonstrated benefits in charging and user experiences. This includes delivering longevity and optimal performance gains, while simultaneously supporting battery health and sustainability efforts.

Cordonnier’s appointment also comes off the back of recent investment from Volvo Cars Tech Fund in March and a $10 million series A led by Lowercarbon Capital, one of the world’s largest climate tech investors, with participation from Speedinvest, who led Breathe’s seed round in 2019.

Cordonnier began his career as an auditor with Arthur Andersen and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Laurent holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from San Jose State University and an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.