ArcelorMittal Europe’s CEO, Geert Van Poelvoorde, will step down from his executive role at the end of July, the steelmaker has announced. He will become chairman of the board of directors of ArcelorMittal Europe Steel. The group has not announced who will succeed him as head of its European operations.

Geert Van Poelvoorde joined ArcelorMittal in 1989 as a project engineer in Ghent, and went on to hold several management positions before becoming CEO of ArcelorMittal Europe in 2021. He also served as president of Eurofer between 2015 and 2022.

A new role within the group

The CEO of ArcelorMittal, Aditya Mittal, pays tribute to “an exceptional leader” who has “worked tirelessly” to safeguard the future of the European steel industry. He emphasises that Geert Van Poelvoorde has steered European operations towards “a safer, cleaner and more digital future”, notably with the launch of green steel certificates and a dynamic pricing model.

Geert Van Poelvoorde, for his part, reflects on “37 extraordinary years” in the steel industry. “When I started out in Ghent, I could never have imagined just how rewarding my career would be,” he says. He says he is “proud” to be leaving the European operations “safer and more robust”, having initiated the transition to lower-carbon steel production. He also believes that the introduction of the new tariff rate quotas (TRQs) on 1^is July and the implementation of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) since the start of the year are making “the future of the European steel industry look more promising”.

From August, he will chair the board of directors of ArcelorMittal Europe Steel and will continue to represent the group within Eurofer.