24 February 2016
Corporate News

Tata Steel announces leadership changes in Europe

The Tata Steel board announces that Karl Koehler has decided to step down as a director of Tata Steel Limited and as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Tata Steel Europe so he can take up a senior leadership position with a large privately-owned industrial company in Germany. He will remain available to Tata Steel for a short period in an advisory capacity.

Koushik Chatterjee, Group Executive Director and member of the boards of Tata Steel and Tata Steel Europe, will be Tata Steel’s Executive Director for Europe in addition to his current responsibilities.
With effect from 1 March 2016, Hans Fischer, currently Chief Technical Officer of Tata Steel Europe, will be appointed Chief Executive Officer and will join the Board of Tata Steel Europe.

Hans Fischer will be responsible for the operational and business performance of Tata Steel Europe. He will report to the Board of Tata Steel Europe and will seek advice and guidance relating to the business from Koushik Chatterjee.

Hans Fischer joined Tata Steel Europe as Chief Technical Officer on 1 July 2012. He worked for Hoogovens – now Tata Steel Netherlands – in various operational positions until joining the German steel and technology group Salzgitter in 2001 as Technical Managing Director, becoming Chairman of the Management Board of Salzgitter Flachstahl in 2004 and, later, a member of the Executive Board of Salzgitter. In 2010 Hans joined the German industrial group ThyssenKrupp where he was CEO for Steel Americas. He rejoined Tata Steel in 2012.

Karl Koehler said: “The last six years have been a challenging journey of change for Tata Steel in Europe as it dealt with unprecedented market conditions. The company’s focus on customers has led to the strengthening of its product portfolio and stronger partnerships with customers which have started to deliver results. The focus on efficiency gains, meanwhile, has been key to creating a better foundation for the company. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to play my role alongside many colleagues in achieving these changes.

“I am pleased that an individual with the experience and caliber of Hans Fischer will be taking over the role of Chief Executive Officer. I believe the new leadership of Tata Steel Europe will continue the journey of making the company stronger in the challenging times the European steel industry is facing.”

Koushik Chatterjee said: “During his tenure as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Tata Steel Europe, Karl has helped the business to become more customer focused, more weighted towards innovative, premium products and significantly more competitive. This has been achieved amidst some of the most challenging market conditions we’ve ever seen. We thank Karl for his contribution to Tata Steel and wish him well for the future. I look forward to working with Hans, who has significant experience in the steel industry, during these turbulent times in the global steel sector.”

Hans Fischer said: “I look forward to leading Tata Steel Europe and further developing the customer focus philosophy that is a key differentiator in the market. We understand making our customers more successful is crucial to our long-term sustainable success while we continue to improve our efficiency in supplying higher-value products to our customers.”

-ends-

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