From October 10-11, POSCO’s CEO Ohjoon Kwon participated in the annual general meeting of the World Steel Association held in Dubai, UAE. At the conference, he exchanged opinions with various top executives on ways to develop the steel industry and other matters of mutual concern.
Including Kwon, the CEOs of major steel companies such as Wolfgang Eder (chairman of the World Steel Association and voestalpine AG), John Ferriola (vice chairman of the World Steel Association and president of Nucor Corporation), Lakshmi Mittal (chairman of ArcelorMittal), Mario Longhi (president of the United States Steel Corporation), Kosei Shindo (president of Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation) and Yu Yong (chairman of the Hesteel Group) participated and discussed key pending issues facing the steel industry in an Executive Committee meeting on October 10.
Members of the Executive Committee posing for a photo on October 10. From left to right: André Gerdau Johannpeter (CEO of Gerdau Group), Wolfgang Eder (chairman of voestalpine AG), Ohjoon Kwon (CEO of POSCO), Lakshmi Mittal (chairman of ArcelorMittal), Paolo Rocca (chairman of Techint Group), Eiji Hayashida (president of JFE Holdings), Heinrich Hiesinger (chairman of ThyssenKrupp), Yu Yong (chairman of the Hesteel Group), Mario Longhi (president of the United States Steel Corporation), Kosei Shindo (president of Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal), John Ferriola (president of Nucor Corporation) and Sajjan Jindal (chairman of JSW Steel).
On the second day of the meeting, October 11, movers and shakers of the world steel industry held long discussions on the sustainable development of the steel industry in three breakout sessions. CEO Kwon presided over one particular session which went over steel’s roadmap for the future via new technology, and engaged in a spirited discussion with around 50 representatives from different steel companies.
Aside from these discussions, the World Steel Association held an annual conference, a BOD meeting and a general meeting to share issues of mutual interest and approve key matters, such as its business plan and the 2017 budget.
The World Steel Association, established in 1967, is the most authoritative organization in the steel sector, focusing on activities to increase people’s awareness of the steel industry and its interests. The association began with 18 member firms from 11 countries. At present, the organization is made up of 170 members, ranging from steel companies, relevant associations and research centers. Brussels, Belgium is home to the headquarters of the World Steel Association.
The association’s BOD consists of steel producers that have an annual capacity of over 2 million tons. At the moment, the BOD has 73 companies of approximately 30 nations as regular members. The Executive Committee is the top decision-making body of the organization, deciding the direction of major business projects such as the steady growth of steel, steel’s role in the environment and the market development of steel. The committee consists of 15 members whose terms each last three years.
The 2017 annual general meeting of the World Steel Association is scheduled to be held at its headquarters in Brussels, in memory of its 50th anniversary.