Can Stella Li maintain the Stella Show's current travel schedule?

Stella Li travels the world as an ambassador for BYD, a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer that has become a global leader in just 30 years

Can she continue to run the motor?

A young Stella Li arrived in Rotterdam from China in the late 1990s with a container full of lithium-ion batteries, £30,000, and a directive from head office to "sell them to survive." She signed a contract with Nokia, the top manufacturer of cell phones at the time. She told the Financial Times, "I opened the door and moved BYD to another level." She was never one for pretending to be modest. A "

After almost 30 years, the company has evolved from its beginnings as a battery manufacturer to become one of the most significant producers of electric vehicles globally. Colleagues have dubbed Li "The Stella Show" because it is still so firmly at the center of its global expansion. But the stakes are equally existential, even though they are much higher. Sales at BYD increased by 40% last year, but in the face of fierce competition, the company must contend with both growing Western protectionism and a worsening domestic outlook in China. According to analyst Tu Le of Sino Auto Insights, it will be "very difficult for BYD to continue to grow the way its been growing".

According to Fortune, Li, 55, "zips across the globe furiously, rarely making it back to her current home in Los Angeles," describing herself as "a diminutive woman with almost frenetic energy." On an average day, BYD's "crucial ambassador and strategist" might arrive in Istanbul, travel to Vienna for a meeting, and then spend the night in Germany. Currently, the automaker exports to about 95 markets, but Europe is especially important to its global expansion. In markets like Britain, which this year became BYD's largest outside of China, the company has turned into "Elon Musk's worst nightmare."

Since its founding in Shenzhen in 1995 by Wang Chuanfu, BYD has fundamentally been a partnership. Wang, 59, was the engineer responsible for the group's quick technological advancements and manufacturing prowess, while Li oversaw marketing and growth. Even though it seemed unlikely, he never gave up on his goal of creating electric vehicles. Soon after Li graduated from Shanghai's esteemed Fudan University, the two got together, and their relationship blossomed both romantically and professionally.

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Li used to joke that BYD stood for "Bring Your Dollars" when she was first approaching mobile phone executives in the Atlanta suburbs with her box of battery samples. BYD stands for "Build Your Dreams." Her perseverance was then her greatest asset. She had to wait two years for Motorola to offer her a contract. However, BYD was booming by 2002 when it went public in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. When Wang acquired a majority share in a failing state-owned automaker a year later, many investors were incensed that BYD "was wading into a market it knew nothing about" and became enraged. Wang was certain that electric vehicles were "a natural extension" of the battery industry even though he didn't know how to drive at the time.

Wang persisted in investing money in product development despite the initial awkward models failing to convince the critics.

Stella Li's deal with Warren Buffett.

Berkshire Hathaway's historic £232 million investment in 2008 is credited with making BYD famous, according to the ft\. Li. Her friend Li Lu, a billionaire hedge-fund manager, introduced her to Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger.

Berkshire reportedly made a return of roughly £7 billion during the nearly two decades it remained with BYD before completing its exit this year. According to Businessweek, BYD has accomplished what Ford, Tesla, and the rest of the automotive industry haven't: "build an affordable electric car for the masses and make money doing it." Li is credited with "bridging the East and the West" by Jean-Francois Baril, chair of Nokia's parent company HMD Global, who has known Li for more than 20 years. According to Baril, the ft\. Shell needs all that expertise to keep BYD moving forward in the coming years.