Brian Aranha joined Dofasco’s research and development department in Canada in 1979. After assignments with the American Iron & Steel Institute in Washington DC, and working on a study for the World Bank on restructuring the Polish steel industry, he returned to Dofasco in 1992 as project manager on the delivery improvement team.

After several promotions, in 2009 Mr Aranha was named chief marketing officer Flat Carbon Europe, global customers and automotive worldwide.

He holds a degree in applied science from the University of Toronto, Canada. He also completed the executive development programme at Queen’s University School of Business, Canada.

Vijay Bhatnagar joined the group in 2002 as managing director of Mittal Steel Lázaro Cárdenas in Mexico. He then became chief operating officer of Mittal Steel Temirtau, Kazakhstan, before being appointed chief executive officer of Mittal Steel Poland in 2005.

Mr Bhatnagar previously worked for Indal (a subsidiary of Alcan) as vice president human resources, environment and community development and AT&S India (a subsidiary of AT&S Austria) as managing director.

He holds a degree in metallurgical engineering and is an alumnus of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School, US.

Benjamin Baptista was previously vice president commercial for Flat Carbon South America. He joined the group at subsidiary Companhia Siderúrgica de Tubar?o (CST) in Brazil in 1983, where he gained a broad range of executive experience, including extensive project and operational responsibilities.

Mr Baptista graduated as a metallurgical engineer from the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and has completed several senior management programmes at Funda??o Dom Cabral in Brazil and Insead in France.

Henri Blaffart was appointed head of human resources (HR) for the group in April 2013. He is also responsible for government relations and international affairs.

Before taking up his current position, Henri was head of HR for the company’s Flat Carbon Europe segment and a member of the segment management committee, a position he took up in April 2010. 

Previously he was chief executive officer (CEO) of ArcelorMittal Lorraine in France, having first been head of primary for the same operation. Henri joined the group in 1982 as strategy and research and development (R&D) director in Liege. He has held a number of other positions in the company including R+D director for construction and CEO of the former Arcelor's research division. 

Henri Blaffart is a civil engineer from the University of Liege, Belgium and holds a masters degree in general management from the Ecole D'entreprise pour le Perfectionnement au Management in Belgium.

Augusto Espeschit de Almeida joined the group in 1980 in the Monlevade steel plant maintenance area of Minas Gerais, Brazil. He was appointed general manager ArcelorMittal and head of the Monlevade plant in 2006, followed by his nomination in 2009 as chief operating officer of Long Carbon Brazil. He was appointed vice president of ArcelorMittal and chief executive officer of Long Carbon Central and South America in October 2009.

Mr de Almeida holds a diploma in mechanical engineering from the Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and has completed postgraduate courses at Kellogg Business School, US, and Insead, France.

Robrecht Himpe was previously chief operating officer of Flat Carbon Western Europe. He started his career at the Sidmar Gent Hot Strip Mill, and in 1995 he became responsible for its cold rolling department. In 2001 he was appointed operational director of Arcelor Bremen, before becoming operational director of Arcelor Asturias in 2003.

Mr Himpe is an electrotechnical engineer and a graduate of the University of Gent, Belgium.

Augustine Kochuparampil was appointed to the management committee on 1 July 2013.

He joined the group in 1994 as a controller at Mittal Steel Hamburg before being promoted to chief financial officer (CFO) two years later. Mr Kochuparampil played an important role in the consolidation of the European units of Mittal Steel, in his capacity as CFO of Ispat Europe from 2001 to 2003. At the end of that year, he became the CFO of Mittal Steel Poland, a position Mr Kochuparampil held until his appointment as CEO of ArcelorMittal Galati, Romania, in January 2007. In June 2009, he became CEO of ArcelorMittal Ostrava and in 2011, was appointed CEO of Long Carbon Europe’s business division east.

Prior to joining ArcelorMittal, Mr Kochuparampil spent around 19 years in the steel industry in India with the Steel Authority of India.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from St Xavier’s College under the University of Calcutta, India. He is a fellow member of the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of India and also holds a Bachelor’s degree in law from Ravi Shankar University, Raipur, India. 

Alain Le Grix was appointed vice president in charge of ArcelorMittal distribution solutions in December 2011.

He joined the group in 1985, and has been responsible for sales strategy across operations. He was vice president for Arcelor Auto Processing and also for Arcelor International America, before being appointed chief executive officer of Arcelor International America. In his most recent role, he was chief marketing officer of general industry for our Flat Carbon Europe business segment.

Mr Grix is a graduate of Ecole Supérieure de Gestion in France.

Gregory Ludkovsky started his career in Russia as a researcher in the field of solid state physics. In 1979 he was hired by East Chicago, Indiana, Research Laboratory operated by the Inland Steel Company, which was purchased by Mittal Steel in 1998.

Mr Ludkovsky progressed through the research and development (R&D) department to become vice president of R&D in 1995. In 1998 he was named chief technology officer for Ispat International and, later, for Mittal Steel Company. He later became vice president of global R&D for ArcelorMittal.

He holds two dozen patents and is an author of numerous publications in the field of physical metallurgy.

Jean-Luc Maurange joined the group in 1984. He became commercial director of Valexy/Tubeurop in 1992, before in 1996 being appointed head of sales at Usinor Auto, which later became Arcelor Auto.

In 2002 he moved to Solihull in the UK as managing director of Arcelor FCS UK and the Automotive Steel Service Centre of Willenhall. In 2007 he was made vice president of ArcelorMittal responsible for Automotive Worldwide, and chief marketing officer, customer team accounts.

Since June 2009, Mr Maurange has been chief executive officer of the Business Division South West of Flat Carbon Europe, covering the plants of Fos St Chely (France) Asturias, Sestao, Sagunto and Lesaka (Spain) and Magona (Italy).

Mr Maurange is a graduate of the école Supérieure de Commerce de Bordeaux, France.

Nku Nymebezi-Heita was formerly chief officer M&A for the Vodacom Group, where she was responsible for M&A and continental business development. Previous roles include chief executive officer of Alliance Capital Management (Pty) Ltd and chairman of Alliance Capital Namibia.

Ms Nymebezi-Heita graduated from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in the UK with a degree in electrical engineering, and holds a master’s in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology, US. She also holds an MBA from the Open University Business School, UK.

Jefferson de Paula joined the group in 1993 as general manager of Belgo Mineira’s Vitória plant in Brazil. In 2001 he moved to Acindar in Argentina as executive industrial vice president, steel business.

He has been industrial and commercial vice president of Acindar since 2006. In 2008 Mr de Paula joined Long Carbon Europe as head of sections, rails, piles and special sections operations, later becoming chief executive officer of the Long Carbon Americas Business Unit South.

Mr de Paula graduated in metallurgical engineering from the Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil, and holds a master’s degree in financial business and marketing from Universidad Austral, Argentina.

Michael Rippey became president and chief executive officer of Mittal Steel USA in 2006. He had been the company’s executive vice president, sales and marketing, since 2005. He was previously executive vice president, commercial, and chief financial officer at Ispat Inland, a predecessor company, which he joined in 1998.

Mr Rippey has a degree in marketing from Indiana University, Bloomington, a master’s in banking and finance from Loyola University, Chicago, and an MBA from the University of Chicago, all in the US.

Bill Scotting joined the Mittal Steel group in September 2002 to lead its performance enhancement activities, becoming responsible for strategy in 2007. 

He became chief executive officer of ArcelorMittal Mining on 1 July 2013 and has more than 25 years’ experience in the metals and mining industry in strategic, operations management, technical and consulting roles.

Formerly an associate principal at McKinsey & Co, Mr Scotting has held positions at BHP Steel, Pioneer Concrete UK, the Mascott Partnership and CRU International.

Mr Scotting holds a degree in metallurgy from the University of Newcastle, Australia, and an MBA from Warwick Business School, UK.

 

Sanjay Samaddar joined the group in 2003 as director, sales and marketing of Mittal Steel Galati, Romania. In 2005 he was appointed director, sales and marketing and member of the board of Mittal Steel, Poland. After the merger of Mittal Steel and Arcelor in 2006, he was promoted to vice president and chief marketing officer, Eastern Europe. He moved to the Czech Republic in 2008 as chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of ArcelorMittal Ostrava.

In 2009 Mr Samaddar became CEO and chairman of ArcelorMittal Poland, and CEO of Flat Carbon Europe Business Division East, covering operations in Poland and at Eisenhüttenstadt in Germany.

Mr Samaddar has a degree in chemical engineering from Panjab University, India. He has also completed the Accelerated Development Programme for Business Leaders at the London Business School, UK.

Juergen Schachler became head of Flat Carbon Europe’s business division southwest on 1 July, 2013. Before taking up his current position, Mr Schachler was chief executive officer at ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Canada. 

Juergen Schachler joined the group in 1993 as chief executive officer (CEO) of Sprint Metal (Germany). He was appointed president and CEO of ArcelorMittal Dofasco Inc. (Canada) in 2007 and led the company’s integration into ArcelorMittal and the Flat Carbon Americas unit.

He is chair of the board of the Canadian Steel Producers’ Association and is on the board of directors of the American Iron and Steel Institute. He is also co-chair of the board of the Canadian Steel Trade and Employment Congress (CSTEC) and a member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and the Ontario Manufacturing Council.

Mr Schachler holds a master’s degree in management and organisation from the University of Hannover, Germany.

Kleber Silva was previously general manager of mining operations in Brazil. Prior to joining the group in 2006, he held the same position at the Brazilian mining company CVRD.

From 1997 to 1999 Mr Silva was mine planning and operations specialist at Québec Cartier Mining Company in Canada, which has become part of the ArcelorMittal group.

Mr Silva holds a degree in mining engineering from Ouro Preto School of Mines, Brazil, and a master’s in mining from the Paris School of Mines, France.

Geert Van Poelvoorde started his career in 1989 as a project engineer at the Sidmar Gent hot strip mill, where he held several senior positions in the automation and process computer department. He moved to Stahlwerke Bremen in 1995 as senior project manager.

Between 1998 and 2002 he headed a number of departments, and in 2003 he was appointed director of Stahlwerke Bremen, responsible for operations and engineering. In 2005 Mr Van Poelvoorde returned to ArcelorMittal Gent to take up the position of chief operating officer primary. In 2008 he became chief executive officer (CEO) of ArcelorMittal Gent with direct responsibility for primary operations, and was appointed CEO of the Business Division North within Flat Carbon Europe in 2009.

Mr Van Poelvoorde graduated from the University of Ghent, Belgium, with a degree in civil engineering and electronics.

Before his current position, PS Venkataramanan (Venkat) served as chief executive officer (CEO) of ArcelorMittal Mexico and remains president of the board. He previously held the roles of vice president marketing for Mittal Steel in Canada and director of sales and marketing for Mittal Steel Lázaro Cárdenas (Mexico). In 2009 he moved to Chicago to become CEO of Long Carbon North America.

Mr Venkat serves as a member on the board of directors of both the Steel Manufacturing Association (US) and the Canadian Steel Producers Association. He was president of the Mexican National Chamber of the Iron and Steel Industry from 2009 to 2010.

Mr Venkat holds master’s degrees in geology and business administration from Madras University, India.

Marc Vereecke was appointed chief operating officer of ACIS, effective 1st July 2013. Before taking up his current position, Mr Vereecke was ArcelorMittal’s chief technology officer, with additional responsibility for in-house manufacturing services. 

Marc Vereecke joined ArcelorMittal Gent, Belgium, in 1984 as a process specialist in the metallurgical department. He was appointed head of the product control department in 1992, followed by an assignment as project manager, steelworks in 1995. He became head of the galvanising business in 1996, a position he held until 2005, when he was given responsibility for the customer relations department.

Three years later Mr Vereecke was made head of downstream operations at ArcelorMittal Gent before being promoted to vice president of ArcelorMittal and chief executive officer ArcelorMittal Gent in 2008. In 2010 he became chief technology officer of ArcelorMittal.

Mr Vereecke graduated in civil engineering and electronics from the University of Ghent, Belgium.

Simon Wandke joined ArcelorMittal in January 2011, as chief commercial officer. Prior to this, Simon held various senior positions within the mining and minerals industry. His career started in 1981 at BHP Billiton and held positions in mines in Australia and Indonesia and other Commercial offices globally until 1999, when he became vice president, Strategy Minerals Group, Melbourne, Australia, then vice president, Strategic Marketing in 2000. In 2002, he joined Destra Consulting Group, Melbourne, where he was an equity partner, responsible for global group business development. In 2006 he joined Ferrexpo plc as chief marketing officer, first in Hong Kong, China, then in Baar, Switzerland.

Simon is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors with a Diploma in Company Directorship. He also holds a Graduate Diploma in Corporate Finance from Swinburne University, Australia, as well as a B.A., Psych, Marketing (Comm) from the University of Melbourne, Australia.

David Clarke joined Mittal Steel in 2003 to support the integration and operational improvement activities in the group’s then new acquisitions in Eastern Europe. In 2006 he co-led the development of the Mittal Steel Value Plan, a key element of the successful bid to merge with Arcelor, and was appointed to his current role in 2007. In his previous role, David was responsible for the development of medium to long term industry outlook, coordinating the group’s annual strategy process, and leading/supporting projects of key strategic importance. 

Prior to joining Mittal Steel, David held positions at McKinsey & Company; Princeton, Cambridge and Oxford Universities; and AT&T Bell Laboratories. 

He holds a PhD and MA in physics from Princeton University where he was a Fulbright Fellow and a Hackett Scholar, and a BSc (Hons) in mathematics and physics from the University of Western Australia.

David is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council for Responsible Mineral Resources Management.

Frank Haers joined former Arbed as steel plant engineer in the Gent plant in 1984. He held several positions in operations and was at the helm of the steel works for more than seven years. After a short stint as general manager of the OCAS Research Centre, he moved to Asturias in 2003.

Posted in Luxembourg from 2005, Frank led a central team in Flat Carbon Western Europe (FCWE) optimising the cost of raw materials, energy and procurement with responsibility for sales and recycling of by-products. In 2008, Frank became the head of steel greenfield projects execution before he was appointed in 2009 as head of health and safety for the group. He was appointed head of CTO, effective 1st July 2013.

Frank graduated in 1980 as a mechanical engineer from the Gent State University (Belgium). He also holds a Doctor’s degree in Fluid Dynamics from the same university.

Jim Baske began his career in 1981 at LTV Steel. He then joined Copperweld Corp. as VP of operations in 2002. Copperweld is now part of the tubular products division of ArcelorMittal.

In 2006, Jim was appointed vice president of Dofasco’s tubular products’ mechanical division and then became director, mechanical tubular products leading facilities in Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Kazakhstan and the USA.

In 2009, Jim assumed the responsibility of all tubular products facilities in North America.

Jim holds a bachelors degree in civil engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in the United States. He also completed executive management programmes at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.

Victor M. Cairo started his career with Caterpillar in operations before moving to Prolec GE as its plant manager in 1997.

Victor joined the group as general manager Dofasco de Mexico in 2000. He played a key role in the evolution of the business from project stage to a mature and well diversified business over the last decade.

Victor holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and electrical engineering from Universidad Regiomontana and a MBA from Instituto Tecnologico y Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.

Previously an officer in the Soviet Army, Artem Polyakov started his career in business and management in 1994-1997, first as the CFO, and then the CEO of Karelsky Okatysh, a mining and pelletising company Russia.

After completing his MBA in 1998, he worked for the French construction materials company Lafarge between 1999 and 2007 in various positions, the last being COO CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) Zone.

Between 2007 and 2011 Artem was the CEO of the Sugar Division of Rusagro Holding, a vertically integrated agricultural company, and one of the leaders in the Russian agricultural industry.

Artem holds a master’s degree from Moscow State University, Department of Cybernetics, and a master’s degree from the Academy of Military Engineers, Moscow, both completed with honours; and an MBA from IMD, Lausanne. 

Vijay Mahadevan joined the group in Mexico Lázaro Cárdenas in 1998, responsible for the sales and marketing of slabs until 2005. He moved to ArcelorMittal Dubai, UAE, in 2006 as general manager, sales and marketing for ArcelorMittal Temirtau and ArcelorMittal Kryviy Riy products. He was chief marketing officer of ArcelorMittal CIS since 2007.

Vijay has 22 years of work experience in the field of production, technical customer services and sales and marketing. Vijay began his career at Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and holds an engineering degree as well as post graduate diploma in business administration specialising in marketing and finance.

Arnaud Jouron leads the Tubular Products Division as CEO since June 2010. He joined ArcelorMittal in January 2006 as Vice President of Business Development for our Stainless Division in charge of finance, strategy and mergers & acquisitions. In September 2008, he moved to Long Carbon Europe (LCE) to take up the role as Vice President of Finance and Strategy and Member of the LCE Management Committee.

At LCE Arnaud was chairman of the board of ArcelorMittal Annaba. Prior to joining ArcelorMittal, Arnaud spent 12 years with several consulting firms, including McKinsey, Arthur D. Little and Bossard.

Mr. Jouron is a graduate in Economy and Mathematics from the ‘Ecole Polytechnique’ and a graduate in Civil Engineering from the ‘Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées’