Liberty Steel has appointed Thomas Gangl as chief executive of its European business, effective 1 July, and chosen Vienna as the location for its European headquarters.
Gangl is currently ceo and chairman of Vienna-based chemicals company Borealis, previously serving in various management positions at Austrian oil company OMV. He will be focussed on stabilising Liberty’s European units, which employ 17,000 workers, optimising production and delivering the green steel transformation by 2030.
Gangl’s appointment follows progress with Liberty’s European debt restructuring and is part of a broader plan to establish a new European holding company registered in Vienna. The Austrian capital offers a central European location close to Liberty’s major plants with excellent financial and professional service industries, Liberty says.
Liberty interim ceo for European Upstream Theuns Victor will manage a handover to Gangl from July, and will then return to his position leading Industrial Projects & Development to deliver the group’s carbon neutral ambitions. Green Steel EMEA ceo Toker Ozcan will now focus on leading Liberty’s UK operations following the recent agreement with Greensill creditors.
“Thomas’s experience in managing complex business environments and major capital projects will be vital as we stabilise our businesses in Europe, seek to attract fresh capital and transition away from coal-based steel production. The establishment of a new European group headquartered in Vienna will mark a new chapter for our businesses with its core focus on leading the development of green steel in our neighbouring Central and Eastern European locations,” Liberty executive chairman Sanjeev Gupta says in a note sent to Kallanish.
Adam Smith Poland
