BYD Company Ltd has been the number one global EV manufacturer for 3 years straight, with more local factories on foreign shores than any other. Since its inception in 1995, the company has delivered on its promise of economic and environmental reform starting with a revolution and disruption of the landline telephony businesses (as the largest manufacturer of Mobile Phones) to now challenging the tyranny of the embedded base of the fossil-fuel-driven transportation industries. Micheal will explain how these disruptions are created and discuss the strategies BYD is employing to free us from the strangling grasp of a polluted world with the creation of the "Zero Emissions Energy Ecosystems" - comprised of affordable solar power, reliable-environmentally-friendly energy storage and cutting-edge electrified transportation.

With more than 25 years of engineering, procurement, business development and management experience, Micheal Austin is a Vice President of BYD North America. He has played an integral role in bringing the global leader of battery electric technology to the United States and Latin America.

He joined BYD in 2007, as the first U.S. team member and officer, and played a role in all aspects of North America business affairs including procurement for two factories, strategy, public relations, marketing, recruitment, hiring, training, negotiations and organizational development. Austin is currently responsible for business and sales development for more than 35 North American and global tier-one Energy Storage clients, and is based in Chicago. He also serves as one of BYD's North American spokespersons, and has been featured on Bloomberg TV, NPR Radio series and several news pieces.

Prior to joining BYD, Austin served Motorola for 15 years in multiple roles including Global Procurement Senior Director, Integrated Supply Chain (ISC); Senior Strategic Sourcing Manager, ISC; Global Cell Commodity Manager, Energy Systems Business; New Business Development Senior Manager, Energy Systems Business; Technical Operations Manager, Atlanta Manufacturing Operations; and Mechanical Engineer and Program Manager, Portable Electronics. He was honored with Motorola's Distinguished Innovator award for receiving 25 patents (and now has 29 US patents); the President's Award for Excellence in Supply Chain; and three Global Customer Satisfaction (TCS) awards.

Austin has been a keynote or panelist at numerous events and conferences including: Main Stage Cannes Lions 2018; and NC-PEV Taskforce Webinar. In addition, he is actively involved in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and is a founding board member of the Transportation Electrification Initiative (TEI).

A certified National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEE) Engineer, Austin received his Bachelor's degree in Design Engineering in 1991 from Brigham Young University and a Master's in Mechanical Engineering in 1992. He is an active volunteer in his community, and he and his wife have five children.

The Official Sponsor of Mother Nature™, BYD was founded in 1995 as a battery manufacturer and advanced consumer electronics company. Applying its battery expertise to the challenge of transportation, the firm has expanded into the largest manufacturer of not only rechargeable batteries but also electric vehicles. BYD's unique expertise is revolutionizing every aspect of clean transportation, with a product line of 100% electric buses, trucks, forklifts, passenger vehicles, and monorail systems. BYD's clean energy division produces energy storage systems, solar panels, and LED lights. The firm is also the first electric bus manufacturer in the U.S. with a unionized workforce in Lancaster, California. For more information, please visit www.BYD.com