Dr Fanny Bardé

Dr Fanny Bardé is a French entrepreneur based in Belgium, with a distinguished career spanning industry, research and innovation leadership. She holds a PhD in Material Science and initially joined Duracell in Boston.

Dr Bardé spent 14 years at Toyota Motor Europe as Technical Manager for R&D – Advanced Technology, where she played a pivotal role in shaping the future of electric vehicle batteries. Her leadership extended beyond project management to strategic oversight, guiding Toyota Europe’s battery technology roadmap.

Following her tenure at Toyota, she joined imec, where she led the Solid-State Battery Programme and managed multi-million-euro projects funded through both commercial and European channels.

In 2022, she co-founded SOLiTHOR, a next-generation solid-state battery company, where she currently serves as Chief Technology Officer. Under her technical leadership, SOLiTHOR has grown to a diverse team of 34 members representing 20 nationalities.
Dr Bardé is the co-author of 31 patent applications, 36 peer-reviewed publications, and one book chapter. Her contributions to innovation were recently recognised with 3rd place in the ‘Women Innovators’ category of the European Prize for Women Innovators.