PowerCo SE appoints new Chief Operations Officer

Salzgitter, Germany - PowerCo SE, a battery cell manufacturer founded by the Volkswagen Group, has appointed René Reif as its new Chief Operations Officer and Member of the Executive Board, effective April 1, 2026, following approval from the company’s Supervisory Board. Reif joined PowerCo SE in 2025 and most recently oversaw the development of the St. Thomas gigafactory in Canada. Before that, he spent more than 30 years at Daimler AG. In his new role, he will lead the planning, construction, and operations of PowerCo’s battery cell factories across Europe and North America. He succeeds Sebastian Wolf, who is leaving the Volkswagen Group at his own request.

Thomas Schmall, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of PowerCo SE. said "Sebastian Wolf played a key role in developing the standard factory concept and shaped the start-up phase of PowerCo through the "Line Zero" validation line and the construction of cell factories in Salzgitter, Valencia and St. Thomas. With these contributions, he has helped position PowerCo as a European technology driver in the battery industry. On behalf of the entire PowerCo SE, I would like to express my gratitude for his dedication and wish him every success in his future role,"

“With René Reif, we are bringing on board a highly experienced manufacturing leader. Over more than 30 years, he has established and managed factories as well as global production networks across multiple regions. Under his leadership, we will continue advancing the ramp-up of our cell factories in Salzgitter, Valencia, and St. Thomas, while further reinforcing PowerCo’s global production footprint.”

René Reif, born in 1963, studied mechanical engineering in Konstanz, Coventry, and Berlin. He joined PowerCo in early 2025 and most recently led the construction of the St. Thomas gigafactory in Canada. Before joining PowerCo, he spent more than three decades at Daimler AG, holding senior management roles in markets including Brazil and China. In his most recent position there, he was responsible for the Mercedes engine plant in Berlin.

Sebastian Wolf has served as Chief Operations Officer of PowerCo SE since 2021, where he played a key role in building the company’s operations division. One of the major achievements during his tenure was the successful commissioning of the Salzgitter gigafactory at the end of 2025. Earlier in his career, Wolf held leadership roles at Volkswagen Group, Farasis Energy, Bosch, and Boston Consulting Group. Born in 1990, he studied engineering at the universities of Aachen, Bath, and Tsinghua in Beijing.

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