June 2026
Dr Francis Wedin is a battery materials and renewable energy industry executive whose career has spanned four continents and multiple commodities. He founded Vulcan Energy and led its growth as Chief Executive Officer, and latterly, as Executive Chairman. Dr Wedin was previously Executive Director of ASX-listed Exore Resources Ltd, where he defined and developed the Lynas Find Lithium Project, subsequently acquired by Pilbara Minerals to become part of its Pilgangoora Lithium Project, now in production.
Dr Wedin holds a PhD and BSc (Hons) in geology and mineral exploration and an MBA in renewable energy. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society, London, and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
Having worked in the lithium industry since 2014, Francis became disillusioned with the environmental cost of conventional production. He knew there had to be a better way and worked backwards from a simple but persuasive idea: lithium produced sustainably from geothermal brines with a co-product of renewable energy.
That idea became Vulcan Energy. Dual-listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Vulcan is now building the world's first carbon neutral, integrated lithium and renewable energy business. Its Lionheart Project, located in the Upper Rhine Valley Brine Field on the Germany-France border, extracts lithium from low-impurity geothermal sub-surface brines using Vulcan's proprietary VULSORB® technology. The naturally heated brine powers production and conversion of lithium to battery-quality material, with renewable energy generated as a co-product for use in operations. This integration, combined with Vulcan's technology and favourable brine chemistry, enables one of the lowest-cost lithium operations in the world.
Extraction is only the starting point. Vulcan has reimagined mining using innovation to integrate and capture more of the value chain. The company has made its Final Investment Decision on the Lionheart Project, construction is underway, offtake is contracted, and further phases of production are in planning.
The Lionheart Project has received global recognition for its sustainability credentials. It holds Strategic Project status under the European Commission's Critical Raw Materials Act and won the 2025 Australian Financial Review Sustainability Leaders Award in the Resources, Energy and Utilities category. Its Green Financing Framework has been awarded a Dark Green rating by S&P Global Ratings, the highest rating ever received by a metals and mining company globally. Vulcan is also recognised as a Top-Rated Company by Sustainalytics' ESG Risk Ratings.
Francis believes there is a genuine opportunity to break free from dependence on carbon-based energy. The world will need to completely remake the way it heats homes, powers businesses, and moves people and goods. Executed effectively, that world will be far better for the next generation. That conviction is what built Vulcan, and it is what drives his continued engagement as a climate champion.