Steel Mills
Guido Kerkhoff Named CEO of Klöckner & Co SE
Written by Sandy Williams
May 14, 2021
Klöckner & Company SE is under the new leadership of Guido Kerkhoff, effective May 13, 2021.
Kerkhoff has been responsible for Europe business operations as Deputy Chairman of the Management Board since the beginning of September 2020. In the planned transition, he succeeds Gisbert Rühl, a member of the Management Board since 2006 and CEO since 2009.
Kerkhoff presented at the Annual General Meeting the company’s new digital transformation strategy that is expected to increase sales and profitability significantly by 2025.
“With our new strategy, ‘Klöckner & Co 2025: Leveraging Strengths,’ we are again focusing on sustainable growth,” said Kerkhoff. “As a digital pioneer in the steel industry, we have spent the past years building clear strengths and competencies, which we will now leverage in a targeted manner to take Klöckner & Co to the next level. To achieve that, we will invest in our employees and our digital transformation.”
Additionally, Klöckner announced the appointment of Bernard Weiß, effective June 1, 2021, to the Group Management Board and as CEO Europe. He will be responsible for EU activities in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands. Weiß has been the CEO of the French operations for the past several years and will now also take over management of Klöckner & Co Deutschland.
As of June 1, 2021, the Group Management Board of Klöckner & Co SE will consist of Guido Kerkhoff, CEO; Dr. Oliver Falk, CFO; John Ganem, CEO Americas; and Bernhard Weiß, CEO Europe.
Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Mills
Cliffs talks DOE funding, blast furnace relining schedule
The future of two projects supported in part by funding through the Department of Energy remains uncertain.
Cleveland-Cliffs open to asset sales
Meanwhile, its Canadian operations have been hurt by the broader tariffs proposed by the United States.
As Q1 loss balloons, Cliffs pledges to cut costs, streamline operations
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. gushed red ink in the first quarter, and pledged to stem the bleeding by idling inefficient, “loss-making operations” and increasing focus on its core automotive business.
Cliffs plans to idle three mills, cut 950 jobs on ‘insufficient demand and pricing’
Cleveland-Cliffs plans to indefinitely idle its steel mill in Riverdale, Ill., as well as mills in Conshohocken, Pa., and Steelton, Pa. The Cleveland-based steelmaker said all three facilities would be idled on or around June 30. Approximately 950 jobs will be impacted, the company said.
CRU: Usiminas may reduce capex unless government strengthens protection
“The lack of effective measures to create fair competition, amid a surge in subsidized imports, is the main threat to the sustainability of Brazil’s steel industry and its value chain,” CEO Marcelo Chara said.