In the late 1990s, BYD’s Stella Li landed in Rotterdam armed with $30,000, (€26,000) a container load of the Chinese group’s lithium-ion batteries and an order from head office: sell them to survive.
With two other people in her team, she clinched a deal to supply its batteries to Nokia, the number one mobile phone manufacturer at the time.
“I opened the door and moved BYD to another level,” said Li.
Since then, the company has moved far past its roots as a battery maker to become one of the world’s most powerful manufacturers of electric vehicles – but Li remains at the heart of its global expansion.
In a series of interviews , the 55-year-old businesswoman, who serves as BYD’s executive vice-president under founder and chair Wang Chuanfu, spoke about the stakes for the company, which are just as existential as it tries to take on the likes of Toyota and Tesla.
“My dream is in five years, you’re walking in a supermarket and everyone will know BYD as a high-tech company,” she said.
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BYD is now the world’s largest and fastest-growing producer of electric vehicles (EVs).
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