Panellist

Raj Surendran

CEO, Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia

Raj Surendran was appointed CEO of Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia on 19 October. TLEA is a joint venture between global new energy materials company, Tianqi Lithium Corporation, in China, and Australian Miner IGO Ltd. The company owns 100 per cent of the lithium hydroxide refinery, in Kwinana, and 51 per cent of the Talison Lithium Mine, in Greenbushes, Western Australia: the world’s largest and highest quality hard rock lithium deposit.

Mr Surendran is a highly experienced senior executive with over 20 years of finance, business development, strategy, project management and commercial leadership experience in Australia. He held senior finance positions with Aurizon, Wesfarmers, BGC Australia and DUET Group (Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline) before joining Tianqi Lithium’s Kwinana operation in 2019  as General Manager Finance.

In September 2021, Mr Surendran was appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the newly formed TLEA joint venture. As COO, he led the Kwinana team through many milestone accomplishments including the achievement of first battery-grade lithium, in May 2022.  Mr Surendran has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Australia.