PRABHAKAR PATIL:
 
PRABHAKAR PATIL




 
 
 
 
 
Chief Executive Officer of Compact Power Inc. in Troy. Compact Power is the North American subsidiary of lithium-ion battery manufacturer LG Chem in Korea. Compact Power is developing the lithium-ion battery system for the E-Flex propulsion system for the Chevrolet Volt. Patil has overall responsibility for the strategic direction, engineering, and business development activities of the company. Prior to joining the firm in 2005, Patil spent 27 years at Ford Motor Co. in various engineering and management positions. He served as chief engineer for Ford's Hybrid Technologies during 2003 and was also chief engineer for the Ford Escape Hybrid from 1998 to 2003. Patil received his undergraduate degree from IIT in Mumbai, and his doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan. He has 12 patents and has published 25 articles. In 1991 he received the Henry Ford Technology Award for his work in electric vehicle powertrain development.


WHERE BORN: "Kolhapur, India."

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS: "My high school English teacher who now has passed away. I started learning English in high school. He showed me the value of persistence and building up self-confidence for public speaking, and led me to good authors and books."

LAST BOOK READ: "Nonfiction, it was The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan; on the fiction side, Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai."

WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME: "Reliable in delivering on commitments, high standards for delivery by myself and the team, and a compassion for people."

WHERE MY FIELD/INDUSTRY IS HEADED: "It's an exciting time to be in the lithium-ion battery business. It's a major bright spot in the automotive industry supplier business. With diversification of transportation and getting away from gas and petroleum, the best solution on the table is hybridization, and the most critical solution is the lithium-ion battery. It's going to grow substantially over the next five-10 years. Some projections say it can grow into a $150 billion business by 2030."

FAVORITE TECHNOLOGICAL GADGET: "I have to say it's my BlackBerry. It's sort of become of an extension with email, GPS, and everything that I need."

FAVORITE PLACE: "The Grand Tetons National Park."

FAVORITE HOBBIES: "Reading when I can do it, playing bridge, hiking, none of which I've been able to do for awhile now."

FAVORITE FOOD: "Good Indian food."

MY HIDDEN TALENT: "Working with kids and actually teaching kids. It's a passion that I haven't been able to indulge in but something I want to do when I retire."

HOW I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED: "As somebody who moved the needle on making hybrids affordable in the U.S."

Grant Thornton Website At the annual awards reception in April 2014, one Leader & Innovator from the previous 12 months will be selected as the Grant Thornton Leader & Innovator of the Year.