6K appoints government affairs executive Mary Cronin to leadership
June 24, 2021
6K, North Andover, Massachusetts, USA, has announced the appointment of Mary Cronin to the company’s executive leadership team as vice president of Government Affairs. With over two decades of experience in government affairs, Cronin will have a specific focus on identifying government initiatives that allow the company to expand its research & development and production opportunities in the federal marketplace.
In parallel with the efforts of board member former US congressman Joe Kennedy III and board advisor former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Dr Joe Felter, the increasing expertise in US public policy; state and federal government relations; as well as local, state, federal, non-profit and corporate outreach knowledge will further support 6K’s mission to drive change in sustainability, national security and supply chain by bolstering the domestic production of advanced materials in Additive Manufacturing and energy storage.
Aaron Bent, CEO, stated, “Issues like battery manufacturing in the US, of which there is near zero capability currently, and securing critical elements like titanium domestically, pose a national threat to the country. Our UniMelt® production platform can be a key driving force in solving these issues. Having Mary leading these initiatives for 6K with the highest levels of government will give us a strong voice in DC and uncover more strategic program opportunities.”
Cronin’s ability to navigate and build relationships on Capitol Hill – with the Defense Logistics Agency, the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense and strategic defence primes – will contribute and add to the growing number of DLA programs 6K has been awarded. Most recently, 6K received a $1 million DLA phase II programme to establish the domestic capability to recover and convert critical metals from defence scrap into premium AM powder.
“6K’s ability to impact domestic production for batteries combined with the sustainability benefits and cost reduction potential is what attracted me to the organisation,” Cronin commented. “Committing $25 million to a new Battery Center of Excellence that will have the systems and infrastructure to demonstrate US production capabilities at pilot scale is of high importance at the most senior levels of government, and 6K is well positioned to lead in this area.”
