Former Honor vice chairman Wan Biao has joined Envision AESC as global CEO. He will also serve as executive director and CTO of parent company Envision Group, according to an internal letter circulated on September 22 and reported by 36Kr.
“It is a great honor to join Envision AESC as CEO,” Wan said in the letter. “I look forward to working with the global team to seize the new wave of growth in the renewable energy industry, continue to deliver safe, high-performance solutions to customers, further strengthen Envision AESC’s position in clean energy technology, and contribute to the world’s transition to net zero.”
Wan spent more than two decades at Huawei, where he helped shape two of its core businesses: wireless and consumer devices. Since joining in 1996, he held senior roles including president of the wireless product line, president of the consumer business group, head of the Russia region, president of the consumer mobile broadband and home device line, and COO of the consumer business.
After Huawei spun off Honor in 2020, Wan became its first chairman. He was credited with stabilizing supply chains, rebuilding sales channels, and reestablishing international partnerships, helping the brand regain momentum. He later moved into the vice chairman role when Wu Hui, former chairman of Shenzhen Water Group, took over as chairman in November 2023. Honor confirmed in September 2024 that Wan had stepped down for personal reasons.
Wan’s international track record aligns closely with Envision AESC’s current expansion. Founded in 2007, the company was one of the first to mass produce lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. Its customers include BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Renault, and Fluence, as well as major energy storage providers. It operates or is building large-scale plants in China, Japan, the US, the UK, France, and Spain.
Zhang Lei, chairman of Envision Group, described Wan’s arrival as a pivotal step. “Wan’s vision, ability to design and execute products, and extensive international management experience will strengthen Envision AESC’s competitiveness and drive sustainable growth in core global markets,” Zhang said.
Beyond AESC, Wan will oversee broader responsibilities across Envision Group, which has businesses in wind power, energy storage, hydrogen, the internet of things, and zero-carbon industrial parks. The dual role positions him to coordinate resources across divisions and deepen synergies.
Over the past year, Envision AESC has expanded production capacity. New plants in Cangzhou, China; Ibaraki, Japan; and Douai, France have come online. In early 2024, the Douai site began producing ten gigawatt-hours of batteries annually for Renault’s R5, which later became the bestselling B-segment EV in Europe. In China, the Jiangyin facility started shipping 46-series large cylindrical batteries to BMW’s global EV platform.
In the US, the Tennessee plant launched North America’s first lithium iron phosphate storage battery cell line in April. By August, it had secured more than 40 GWh in orders from over ten Chinese energy storage integrators. Data from Shanghai Metals Market shows Envision AESC ranked among the world’s top three suppliers of energy storage batteries by overseas shipments in 2024.
Further expansion is planned. Plants in Sunderland, UK, and Extremadura, Spain are expected to go online in the next few years, with a new storage battery facility slated for China in 2025.
According to 36Kr, the scale of these projects demands stronger supply chain coordination, cross-regional management, and market development. Wan’s appointment signals Envision’s push to reinforce execution as it enters its next phase of growth.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Su Jianxun for 36Kr.