Stella Li

Stella Li
李柯
Li in 2025
Born1969 (age 56–57)
Xiantao, Hubei, China
Alma materFudan University
OccupationExecutive vice president of BYD Company
Known forGlobal expansion of BYD; first woman to win World Car Person of the Year
Stella Li
Simplified Chinese李柯
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLǐ Kē

Stella Li (Chinese: 李柯; pinyin: Lǐ Kē; born 1969) is a Chinese business executive who serves as executive vice president of BYD Company Limited and CEO of BYD Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She is widely credited with driving BYD's international expansion, overseeing the company's growth from a domestic battery manufacturer into the world's largest producer of plug-in vehicles.[1]

In January 2025, Li was named World Car Person of the Year by the World Car Awards, becoming the first woman and the first person representing a Chinese automaker to receive the award in its history. The selection was made by automotive journalists from 30 countries.[2]

Early life and education

Li was born in Xiantao, Hubei province, China. She received a bachelor's degree in statistics from Fudan University in 1992.[3] Before joining the private sector, Li worked in international trade for a Chinese state-owned enterprise from 1990 to 1996.[3]

Career

Li joined BYD in September 1996 as a marketing manager for global exports, at a time when the company was primarily a manufacturer of rechargeable batteries for mobile phones and consumer electronics. In 1997 she opened BYD's first overseas office in Hong Kong. In 1999 she founded BYD's first European office in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and established an initial North American sales presence in Chicago.[3][4] During this period Li secured Motorola, Nokia, and Samsung as major accounts for BYD's battery products, personally travelling across the United States and Europe carrying battery samples and spending months courting procurement teams including Motorola's battery research and development facility in Atlanta.[5]

In February 2010, Li was appointed president of BYD Americas, responsible for business development, public policy engagement, and strategic partnerships across the Americas. She relocated BYD's North American headquarters from Chicago to Los Angeles, California in 2011, and in 2013 established an electric bus factory in Lancaster, California, which became one of BYD's primary production sites for heavy-duty electric vehicles in North America.[6] Under her leadership, BYD secured contracts for zero-emission electric buses with transit agencies in Los Angeles, Long Beach, and other major North American cities, establishing BYD as one of the largest suppliers of electric buses in the United States at that time.[3]

Li also oversaw BYD's expansion into Latin America, where the company supplies electric buses and taxis in countries including Chile, Brazil, and Colombia.[7] BYD's Camaçari plant in Bahia, Brazil, inaugurated in October 2025, was among the projects Li oversaw in her expanded role.[8]

Li during the introduction of the BYD Seal 6 DM-i in Germany

In May 2024, Li replaced Michael Shu to lead BYD's European operations following what Reuters described as several strategic missteps in the region, including over-reliance on third-party distributors in key markets.[9] Li led the transition from distributor-led sales to direct operations in several European countries, including Sweden, where BYD ended its relationship with distributor Hedin Mobility in July 2025.[10]

At the IAA Mobility 2025 show in Munich, Li confirmed that BYD's factory in Budapest, Hungary would begin production by the end of 2025, with the Dolphin Surf as its first model. She also announced that BYD would expand its European retail network to over 2,000 locations by the end of 2026, including nearly tripling the number of sales and service sites in Germany.[11] Li also announced BYD's Flash Charging network for Europe, targeting 200 to 300 installations by the second quarter of 2026, using onboard battery storage to deliver up to one megawatt of output from grid connections of 50 to 100 kilowatts.[12]

Li additionally spearheaded BYD's European plug-in hybrid strategy, announcing in October 2024 that BYD would produce PHEVs alongside battery electric vehicles at its European plants. The Seal U DM-i became Europe's fourth best-selling PHEV overall and its best-selling PHEV in March 2025.[13]

Awards and recognition

YearAwardOrganisationSource
2017US-China Business Leadership AwardUS-China Policy Foundation[14]
2018Woman of the Year, 49th Assembly DistrictCalifornia Legislative Women's Caucus[15]
2018Business Leader AwardProject Sunshine[16]
2021Most Powerful Women in ChinaFortune China[17]
202160 Outstanding Chinese in North America; Women in TechForbes China[18]
2022Asian Women Empowered VisionaryAsia Society Southern California[19]
2022, 2023, 2024, 2025Most Powerful Women in ChinaFortune China[20]
November 2023TIME100 ClimateTime[21]
2024Power Businesswomen AsiaForbes Asia[22]
January 2025World Car Person of the YearWorld Car Awards[23]
2025The Influence ListFinancial Times[24]
2025Xataka Legend AwardXataka[25]
2025Automotive D.R.I.V.E. Visionary LeaderReuters[26]

References

  1. ↑ Hinchliffe, Emma (2025-08-15). "Stella Li drives BYD's global expansion". Fortune. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  2. ↑ Taylor, Michael (2025-01-28). "BYD's Stella Li Named World Car Person Of The Year By World Car Of The Year". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Stella Li". Columbia Engineering. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  4. ↑ "Stella Li". China Institute of America. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  5. ↑ Flannery, Russell (2019-09-18). "The Businesswoman Behind The Wheel At A "Model" Chinese Employer In America". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
  6. ↑ "Stella Li". Asia Society Southern California. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  7. ↑ Coppola, Gabrielle; Lee, Danny (2024-10-17). "BYD's Rise Has Been Driven By a Lot More Than Just Subsidies". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
  8. ↑ "Stella Li". London Tech Week 2026. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  9. ↑ Piovaccari, Giulio; Carey, Nick (2025-04-23). "Exclusive: China EV giant BYD reboots Europe operations after strategic stumbles, sources say". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
  10. ↑ "BYD bids goodbye to Hedin in Sweden". Electrive. 2025-07-14. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
  11. ↑ "BYD's Stella Li Highlights New Models, European Factory and Innovation at IAA Mobility 2025". GlobeNewswire. 2025-09-08. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  12. ↑ "BYD's Stella Li: Why fast charging and European factories are key to the EV race". Euronews. 2026-02-04. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  13. ↑ "BYD changes Europe strategy; will build PHEVs alongside EVs at new plants". Yahoo Finance. 2025-05-07. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  14. ↑ "CGCC Congratulates Ms. Stella Li on Winning "U.S.-China Business Leadership Award"". CGCC USA. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  15. ↑ "California Women's Legislative Caucus Honors BYD Motors President Stella Li As "Woman of the Year"". BYD USA. 2018-03-12. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  16. ↑ "BYD Motors President Honored for Business Leadership". Mass Transit Magazine. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  17. ↑ "Stella Li". London Tech Week 2026. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  18. ↑ "Stella Li". Asia Society Southern California. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  19. ↑ "Asia Society Southern California 2022 Annual Gala". Asia Society. 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  20. ↑ "Stella Li drives BYD's global expansion". Fortune. 2025-08-15. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  21. ↑ "Stella Li: TIME100 Climate 2023". Time. 2023-11-16. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  22. ↑ Watson, Rana Wehbe (2024-11-04). "Forbes Asia's Power Businesswomen 2024". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  23. ↑ Taylor, Michael (2025-01-28). "BYD's Stella Li Named World Car Person Of The Year". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  24. ↑ "Stella Li". London Tech Week 2026. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  25. ↑ "Stella Li honored with the Xataka Legend 2025 Award". BYD Auto Belgium. 2025-12-03. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  26. ↑ "Automotive D.R.I.V.E". events.reutersevents.com. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.