Brussels, 23 November 2023 – The European Steel Association (EUROFER) has elected a new Board, President and Vice-Presidents. Henrik Adam has been appointed as President of the organisation for a two-year term. He succeeds Francesc Rubiralta Rubió, who has led EUROFER since 2022. The Steel Association of Ukraine has also been accepted as a member.

Dr. Adam currently holds the position of Vice President of Tata Steel and Chairman of the Board of Tata Steel Netherlands Holding. He also serves as Chairman of the Steel Institute VDEh in Germany. With his extensive background in the steel industry, including his earlier role as the Chairman of WorldAutoSteel and as a Vice President of EUROFER since 2019, Dr. Adam brings a wealth of experience and leadership to his new role.

Speaking after his election, Dr. Adam said: “I am looking forward to continuing the good work my predecessors have done to support the development of the European steel industry over the past years in extremely challenging times. My objectives remain the same: transitioning our sector to carbon neutrality without losing market share to third country producers with low or no climate ambition, ensuring access to affordable decarbonised energy and steel scrap as critical raw material in Europe, preventing imports that distort fair competition, and, last but not least, highlighting the importance of steel made in Europe for the EU’s resilience, strategic autonomy and prosperity of its citizens”.

“I believe the European steel industry should continue to be a strong partner of the European manufacturing industry. I can’t imagine having a local manufacturing industry – from cars and rails to batteries and wind towers - without a local steel industry. Many innovations in our sector have made our customer’s products competitive in the global market. Hence, the future of the European steel industry is vital for the future of European industry. Together with my colleagues at EUROFER, I am fully committed to working tirelessly to ensure a robust business case for the European steel industry”, he added.

Mr. Rubiralta served as President of the European Steel Association from November 2022 to November 2023. He is the Chairman and CEO of Celsa Group.

“It has been a pleasure to have represented EUROFER this past year as President, and before that as Vice-President for 12 years. I would like to thank the EUROFER team for their hard work and support during this time. I would also like to wish the future President of the Association great success in his term of office”, said Mr. Rubiralta.

“Mr. Rubiralta served during a crucial year as President of the European Steel Association in the midst of one of the most uncertain periods the global economy has faced so far. He steered the sector through an ongoing energy crisis, the disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine, increasing trade tensions, and the decarbonisation process the sector is undergoing while reinforcing the role of circularity. Under the leadership of Henrik Adam, we will continue the exchange with the EU institutions and member states to build the conditions that should provide business opportunities for steel and the steel value chain in Europe. Only European steel makes Europe stronger”, concluded Axel Eggert, Director General of EUROFER. 

Annex

President and member of the Board
Henrik Adam, Tata Steel Netherlands Holding

Vice-Presidents and members of the board
Geert van Poelvoorde, ArcelorMittal
Bernhard Osburg, thyssenkrupp Steel
Hubert Zajicek, voestalpine
Gunnar Gröbler, Salzgitter
Lorenzo Riva, Riva Forni Elettrici
Olavi Huhtala, SSAB/Jernkontoret
Mario Arvedi Caldonazzo, Arvedi
Francesc Rubiralta Rubió, Celsa Group
Timoteo Di Maulo, Aperam

Members of the Board
Flavio Bregant, Federacciai
Kerstin Maria Rippel, WV Stahl
Roland Junck, Liberty
Stefan Rauber, Dillinger/Saarstahl
Miroslav Kiral’varga, US Steel Košice
Lucia Freire, Megasa Group
Ben De Vos, NLMK Europe
Roman Heide, Třinecké Železárny
Heikki Malinen, Outokumpu
Bernardo Velazquez Herreros, Unesid

Notes for editors

Contact
Lucia Sali, Spokesperson and Head of Communications, +32 2 738 79 35, (l.sali@eurofer.eu)

About the European Steel Association (EUROFER)
EUROFER AISBL is located in Brussels and was founded in 1976. It represents the entirety of steel production in the European Union. EUROFER members are steel companies and national steel federations throughout the EU. The major steel companies and national steel federation of Turkey and the United Kingdom are associate members.

The European Steel Association is recorded in the EU transparency register: 93038071152-83.

About the European steel industry
The European steel industry is a world leader in innovation and environmental sustainability. It has a turnover of around €130 billion and directly employs around 306,000 highly-skilled people, producing on average 152 million tonnes of steel per year. More than 500 steel production sites across 22 EU Member States provide direct and indirect employment to millions more European citizens. Closely integrated with Europe’s manufacturing and construction industries, steel is the backbone for development, growth and employment in Europe.

Steel is the most versatile industrial material in the world. The thousands of different grades and types of steel developed by the industry make the modern world possible. Steel is 100% recyclable and therefore is a fundamental part of the circular economy. As a basic engineering material, steel is also an essential factor in the development and deployment of innovative, CO2-mitigating technologies, improving resource efficiency and fostering sustainable development in Europe.