January 23, 2026: EnerSys corporate communications director Karen Shaw has become co-chair of Battery Council International’s communications committee.

Shaw joins Lisa Hartman, EnerSys VP and head of investor relations and corporate communications, who was named co-chair of the committee earlier this month.

BCI said Shaw and Hartman will support the trade body in guiding strategic direction for the battery industry’s voice.

“Together, they’ll lead us in amplifying industry’s essential contributions and engage policymakers on critical industry priorities,” BCI said on January 20.

The appointments come just weeks after BCI issued a rallying call for “long-overdue investment” in US supply chains for critical battery materials, saying North America’s economic future and national security depended on it.

BCI said on December 22 that, on balance, 2025 had been a year of progress for the North American energy storage industry, highlighting the recent US designation of lead as a critical mineral for the first time.

The trade body said this was an overdue recognition of lead’s foundational role in the American economy as the primary raw material in batteries that power nearly all the cars and trucks on US roadways, among many other important applications.