Per reporter: Zhao Li Nan Per editor: Yang Xia
On February 15, CATL published an obituary on its official website, saying that Dr. Zhang Yujie, honorary chairman of CATL, died on February 14, 2022 at the age of 79 due to ineffective medical treatment.
Ningde times official website mourns Dr. Zhang Yujie Image source: Ningde times official website screenshot
"Dr. Zhang Yujie is more like a scientist, and Mike (a common name for Zhang Yujie by employees in the Ningde era) has always been a very peaceful person. At the same time, when Dr. Zhang Yujie was at ATL, he also cared about the lives of the R&D team members and exchanged things with everyone about life. A former R&D employee of the Ningde era described Dr. Zhang Yujie in his memory to the "Daily Economic News" reporter.
Dr. Zhang Yujie was born in 1943 in Tai'an, Shandong Province. He graduated from National Taiwan University with a bachelor's degree in 1965 and graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1973 with a doctorate. After graduating, he worked in for The Ford Motor Company, IBM Corporation and Connect Peripheral in the United States, engaged in engineering research and development and management work. In 1994, Dr. Zhang Yujie resolutely gave up the superior conditions of the United States and joined Hong Kong ST Industrial Co., Ltd. (SAE). In 2007, Dr. Zhang Yujie joined Hong Kong New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (ATL) as Vice Chairman and Chairman.
According to a previous report in the "CPPCC Tiandi" journal, in 1999, Zeng Yuqun co-founded New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. in Hong Kong with Liang Shaokang, Chen Tanghua, Zhang Yujie and others.
According to the prospectus of CATL Times, New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. is mainly engaged in the development, production and sales of consumer lithium batteries, and carries out specific business through its subsidiaries Ningde New Energy, Dongguan New Energy, Dongguan New Energy Electronics, Hong Kong New Energy and Dongguan New Energy. The main technology of new energy technology is its self-developed polymer lithium battery related processes and technologies.
In 2005, TDK, a Japanese listed company, acquired 100% of the shares of New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., and in 2014, Zeng Yuqun was appointed by TDK as vice president, senior vice president and general manager of the energy equipment business.
In 2011, Dr. Zhang Yujie established CATL Times New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) independently of the ATL Power Battery R&D Department. Since 2017, Zhang Yujie has served as the honorary chairman of CATL. From March to April 2017, Zeng Yuqun also resigned from all positions at TDK and ATL to serve as chairman of CATL.
Image source: Screenshot of the official website of the Standing Committee of the Ningde Municipal People's Congress
In 2018, the Standing Committee of the Ningde Municipal People's Congress announced on its website that in view of Mr. Zhang Yujie's outstanding contributions to the economic and social and leading industrial development of Ningde City, the Standing Committee of the Ningde Municipal People's Congress decided to award Mr. Zhang Yujie, a Chinese-American national, the title of "Honorary Citizen of Ningde City".
In his obituary, CATL said that Dr. Zhang Yujie has studied in China and the West, has a global strategic vision, has a thorough understanding of science and technology, adheres to the concept that colleagues are family, and has cultivated a large number of talents for enterprises and society. For ten years, from the blue wisp of the road to the climbing of the peak, he has always fought side by side with CATL, witnessing one transcendence and victory after another. The Slovaks are gone, and his spirit of struggle will be passed on forever at CATL. May Dr. Zhang Yujie go all the way!
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