Cirba Solutions

Cirba Solutions

Our Leadership

Our dedicated team of industry professionals bring passion for both work and the environment to everything they do. Driving change for our customers, we make an impact everyday.

David Klanecky

CEO & President

“We are servicing the needs of today and supporting our future generations with sustainable solutions for the planet.” said Klanecky.

Recognized for his impressive over 25-year career as an expert in Global Lithium & Operations, David currently brings his combined global experience and knowledge to his role as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Cirba Solutions.   

Cirba Solutions is the most comprehensive and trusted service provider in the battery management industry, with 7 strategic locations taking batteries at end-of-life, processing them to extract critical materials and supplying these materials back into the supply chain. David also currently sits on the External Advisory Committee for the Advanced Energy Technologies Directorate of the Department of Energy’s, Argonne National Laboratory and is a member of the NAATBatt International Board. 

Prior to his time at Cirba Solutions, David previously served as Executive Vice President and COO of Piedmont Lithium, where he helped build North America’s largest Lithium company. From 2013 to 2021, David served in increasingly senior management roles within Albemarle Corporation, the world’s leading lithium producer, including as VP Strategy and Corporate Development and most recently serving as Vice President – Lithium Operations – APAC/EU, with global responsibility for Albemarle’s manufacturing/operations, process technology and product management within the global lithium business. He also served as interim CEO of the MARBL joint venture between Albemarle and Mineral Resources Ltd, which includes the Kemerton and Wodgina assets in Australia.

Before joining Albemarle, David also had an impressive twenty-year career with The Dow Chemical Company that spanned the globe including expat assignments in Spain, Switzerland, and China across a number of innovative industries. In his last role with Dow, David launched the Dow Energy Materials Business, focused on Lithium-Ion Battery Materials offerings for cell manufacturers and Auto OEMs. 

David has spent most of his career in senior operational, research & development, commercial, and strategic leadership roles. He has a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Nebraska and an Executive MBA from Arizona State/Thunderbird School of Global Management.

OUR TEAM

Walt Sopp

Operations

Jay Wago

Commercial

Jay Wago has 25 years of global lithium-ion battery materials sales and business development experience and serves as Cirba Solutions’ Chief Commercial Officer.  He has managed a broad range of battery materials Including separators, cathode, anode, lithium salts and lithium specialty products as well as battery production process technology.

Mr. Wago has worked in various regions including North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.  Previous roles include Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Westwater Resources, Global Business Director at Albemarle Corporation, Asia-Pacific Commercial Director at Dow Chemical Company, Sales Manager at Itochu Corporation, and Sales Operations Manager at Celgard.  In these roles, he was responsible for creating and executing global commercial strategies, developing new business partnerships, driving sales growth, and leading new business development.

Jay has also served as Representative Director/President of Japan Acrylic Chemical and a board member of Nippon Aluminum Alkyls. He holds a bachelor’s degree of Business Administration in Marketing from Georgia State University.

Erin Sharpe

Finance

Erin Sharpe is an action-oriented executive with experience in large, publicly traded, and middle market, privately held organizations, in diverse industries leading strategy development, financial operations, FP&A, treasury management, investment allocation, and M&A activities on a global scale.

She is a respected change agent with repeated success leading transformational initiatives, integrating acquisitions, and turning around unprofitable areas.  As Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Cirba Solutions, Erin is responsible for all company financial functions, including accounting, treasury, corporate finance, and investor relations. 

Prior to joining Cirba Solutions in 2022, Ms. Sharpe served as CFO of a private equity backed, specialty coating service provider. Earlier in her career she held leadership positions in both finance and project management at General Electric, Honeywell, and Fifth Third Bank. 

Sharpe earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

Meredith Barius

People and Culture

Meredith Barius serves as the Chief People Officer. In her role, she Is responsible for leading Cirba Solutions’ overall human resources strategy, talent acquisition, leadership development, organizational design, cultural development, compensation and benefits, human resources technology, operations, and employee relations.  

Prior to serving as Chief People Officer, Barius most recently served as Global Director of Human Resources in the packaging industry in which she led integration strategy over the company’s most recent acquisition.  In addition, she oversaw all human resources activities including cultural change management initiatives and labor relations strategies in the United States and United Kingdom. Additionally, Meredith was instrumental in growing a privately held distribution business from threefold in employee population and eightfold in geographic locations, with a multi-country presence which included developing policy and practice internationally.

Barius holds a Bachelor’s Degree in business from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and holds a certification in coaching change management and crucial conversations. Throughout her career, she has been a member and held various positions at the Society of Human Resources Management local chapters in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Chicago.

Jake Wilson

Legal

Jake Wilson serves as Chief Legal Officer of Cirba Solutions. Jake leads all legal and compliance activities and provides strategic guidance and corporate governance oversight for the company. Jake also has responsibility for the company’s sustainability function. Jake has a strong background in the logistics and chemicals industries, with over 20 years of experience handling domestic and international legal matters, governance, compliance, M&A, strategy and business development matters in legal and business leadership roles.

Prior to joining Cirba Solutions, Jake most recently served as Vice President, Corporate Business Development Strategy at Albemarle Corporation, where he was responsible for leading Albemarle’s enterprise-wide inorganic growth strategy. Previously, Jake served as Vice President, Legal Affairs, where he was responsible for leading Albemarle’s global legal function. He previously served as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Counsel for each of Albemarle’s global business units. He also held responsibility for Albemarle’s corporate legal function, including M&A, securities, governance and corporate secretarial matters. Prior to joining Albemarle, Jake managed M&A, corporate and securities law matters at FedEx Corporation, where he played an important role in its international growth strategy. Before moving in-house, Jake practiced corporate and securities law at Haynes and Boone, LLP. 

Jake earned his undergraduate degree with honors from Southern Methodist University and his law degree with honors from Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law.

Troy Thennis

GROWTH PROJECTS & TECHNOLOGY

With 33 years of experience in the chemical industry, Thennis leads a high-performing team of engineers focused on developing and building lithium-ion battery recycling and battery materials processing technologies. Prior to joining Cirba Solutions he worked as the Vice-President of Manufacturing at Redwood Materials for the anode copper foil and hydrometallurgical refining business. 

Prior to that he worked for nearly 16 years with Albemarle Corporation where he was the Senior Director of Process Technology for their lithium division.

Thennis has a passion for leadership and people development. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology; having been recognized in 2001 as the outstanding recent Chemical Engineering graduate.

Danielle Spalding

Marketing, Communications & Public Affairs

Danielle Spalding serves as VP, Communications & Public Affairs for Cirba Solutions, where she leads diverse teams in communication and marketing, government affairs, and community engagement. For nearly 20 years, Danielle has worked with brands of all sizes in the private sector focusing on strategic positioning, market leadership and amplifying connections.  

In her previous roles including Director of Digital Engagement and Marketing, as well as Director of Client Services Spalding handled various campaigns creation, market landscape analysis, strategic planning, communication planning including crisis management and brand building. Notably, she spearheaded Cirba Solutions successful rebranding after the mergers and acquisitions, launching the new brand in June 2022.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Danielle is a passionate sustainability advocate, striving to provide impactful solutions, education, and thought leadership. She holds a BBA in Marketing and Management from the University of Michigan and an MBA in International Business from Walsh College.

Anna Lo

Supply Chain, Business Excellence & Information Technology

Anna Lo serves as Vice President of Supply Chain & Business Excellence at Cirba Solutions. Her responsibilities include managing Sales and Operations Planning, Global Logistics, Procurement, Continuous Improvement, and Information Technology. Anna is an accomplished and results-oriented global supply chain executive with over 20 years of experience in various leadership positions in end-to-end supply chain management.

Prior to joining Cirba Solutions, Anna previously held the position of Senior Director of Global Supply Chain Center of Excellence at Albemarle Corp. where she led a team of Global Process Owners for Source To Pay/Global Procurement, Customer To Cash, Integrated Business Planning/ Plan To Produce, Global Trade Compliance, and Supply Chain COE analysts to drive end-to-end integration and harmonization of the Global Supply Chain Management by enhancing People, Process, Technology.

Anna holds a Bachelor of Science in Business- Integrated Supply Chain and Operations Management from the University of Phoenix, a certification in Driving Strategic Innovation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certified.

Tristan Rizzo

Executive Assistant
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