July 9, 2021 Announcements Company Updates

Clarios Welcomes Maryrose Sylvester and Diarmuid O’Connell to Its Board of Directors

Clarios, a world leader in advanced energy storage solutions, is pleased to announce that Diarmuid O’Connell and Maryrose Sylvester are joining its Board of Directors as independent directors, effective July 1, 2021.

MILWAUKEE, WI, July 2, 2021 – Clarios, a world leader in advanced energy storage solutions, is pleased to announce that Diarmuid O’Connell and Maryrose Sylvester are joining its Board of Directors as independent directors, effective July 1, 2021. In conjunction with his appointment to the Board, Mr. O’Connell will serve as Clarios’ chairman effective immediately. The new directors bring a wealth and diversity of expertise to Clarios, which designs and manufactures next-generation, low-voltage battery technologies powering the future of mobility, allowing Clarios to continue driving growth and to evolve as a company.


“I am pleased to welcome Diarmuid and Maryrose to our Board of Directors,” said Clarios CEO Mark Wallace. “They both bring tremendous experience and perspectives as business leaders across the automotive and electrification landscape. We are excited to be able to expand and strengthen our leadership team at Clarios as we continue our progress as the world’s leading supplier of advanced battery technologies and sustainable energy storage solutions.”


Diarmuid O’Connell served as Chief Strategy Officer at Fair, an automotive leasing fintech company, where he helped the company expand into new markets and deepen partnerships with Softbank and Uber. Prior to Fair, Mr. O’Connell spent over a decade at Tesla, where he served as Vice President, Corporate and Business Development. While at Tesla, Mr. O’Connell oversaw a wide range of strategic programs and deals that transformed the company, notably the funding for the company’s flagship Model S program, Tesla's first manufacturing plant in Fremont, CA, its “Gigafactory" battery plant deal in Reno, NV, and support for Tesla's direct-to-consumer retail business model. Mr. O’Connell created and led Tesla’s global emissions credit trading business and was part of the leadership team that launched the Supercharger network and Tesla’s Energy Storage business. Mr. O’Connell brings global market experience, having led Tesla’s international expansion to Europe, Japan, China and the Middle East. Mr. O’Connell currently serves on the public boards of Albemarle Corporation (ABL), Dana Incorporated (DAN), and Tech and Energy Transition Corporation (TETC). He holds a BA degree in history and government from Dartmouth College, an MA degree in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia, and an MBA degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.


Maryrose Sylvester is a strategic, growth-oriented leader who most recently served as the U.S. Managing Director and President of U.S. Electrification for ABB, a global technology company operating in the areas of electrification, robotics, power and automation. Ms. Sylvester was responsible for ABB’s largest geographical market and the implementation of the new ABB operating system. As head of the U.S. Electrification unit, she strengthened commercial leadership and aligned the U.S. Electrification sales force around market segments, while also leading the U.S. COVID-19 relief efforts. In addition to these initiatives, she championed the Diversity and Inclusion efforts and accelerated its Encompass Diversity program. Prior to ABB, Ms. Sylvester spent more than 30 years at GE, serving most recently as President and CEO of Current, powered by GE, a digital power services start-up that delivers integrated energy systems. Prior to Current, she served as President and CEO for several other GE businesses, including GE Lighting, GE Intelligent Platforms and GE Quartz. Ms. Sylvester was a member of GE’s Corporate Executive Council and GE’s Commercial Council, and she was instrumental in helping to start the GE Women’s Network. Ms. Sylvester currently serves on the public boards of Harley-Davidson, Inc. (HOG), Waste Management (WM), and Vontier Corporation (VNT) and is a member of the Foundation Fighting Blindness Board of Directors. She holds a BSBA degree with a major in procurement and production management from Bowling Green State University and an MBA degree from Cleveland State University.


The Clarios Board of Directors will consist of 11 directors, including four independent directors, six directors from the sponsor investor group, and Clarios’ Chief Executive Officer:

  • Independents: Diarmuid O’Connell (Chairman), Cathy Clegg, Michael Norona and Maryrose Sylvester
  • Sponsor investor group: John Barkhouse (Brookfield), Steve Girsky (Brookfield), Mark Weinberg (Brookfield), Ron Bloom (Brookfield), Justin Shaw (CDPQ) and Bertrand Villon (CDPQ)
  • Clarios: Mark Wallace


About Clarios

Clarios is a world leader in advanced energy storage solutions. We partner with our aftermarket and original equipment customers to meet increasing market demand for smarter applications on a global scale. Our 16,000 employees develop, manufacture and distribute a portfolio of evolving battery technologies for virtually every type of vehicle. Our technologies deliver uniquely sustainable, next-generation performance, and bring reliability, safety and comfort to everyday lives. We add value at every link in the supply chain, ensuring that up to 99% of the materials in our batteries are recovered, recycled and reused, contributing to the progress of the communities we serve and the planet we all share. Clarios is a subsidiary of Brookfield Business Partners.