The World Steel Association (WSA) on Wednesday said that it has elected JSW Steel Chairman and Managing Director Sajjan Jindal as its Chairman for the 2021-22 period. With this, Jindal becomes the first representative from India to serve as Chairman of the WSA. The association has also appointed Tata Steel CEO T V Narendran and ArcelorMittal chief L N Mittal to the Executive Committee.

YU Yong of HBIS Group Co Ltd and Jeong-Woo Choi of POSCO has been elected as Vice-Chairmen. Mark Vassella of BlueScope Steel Limited has been elected as Treasurer and Timoteo Di Maulo of Aperam will be the Chairman of the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF).

"The individuals on the Executive Board of Directors will hold office for one year," the body said.

Jindal addressed the board members of WSA thanking his predecessor Yu Yong for his capable chairmanship over the last two years and noting the challenges for the global industry going forward, particularly with respect to climate change.

The board of members also elected a 16-member Executive Committee. Jindal will also be part of the Executive Committee.

The members include Salah AL-Ansari of Hadeed, Saudi Iron & Steel Company, David B Burritt of United States Steel Corporation, Chen Derong of China Baowu Steel Group Corporation Limited, Jeong-Woo Choi of POSCO, Ugur Dalbeler of olakoglu Metalurji A.S, and Eiji Hashimoto of Nippon Steel Corporation, Lakshmi N. Mittal of ArcelorMittal and Tata Steel CEO Thachat Viswanath Narendran.

Other members are Andr Bier Gerdau Johannpeter of Gerdau S.A, Yoshihisa Kitano of JFE Steel Corporation, Alexey A. Mordashov of Severstal (PAO), Paolo Rocca of Techint Group, Leon J Toplian from Nucor Corporation, YU Yong of HBIS Group Co., Ltd and Hubert Zajicek from voestalpine A.G.

Edwin Basson has been elected as Secretary WSA. The Board of Members has also welcomed as new members Siam Yamato Steel Company Corporation (SYS) (Thailand), represented by Damrongsak Jaturongpatana and SULB Company (Bahrain) represented by Ravi Singh Indian Iron & Steel Sector Skill Council (IISSSC) (India) represented by Sushim Banerjee was also welcomed by the board as an affiliate member.

WSA acts as the focal point for the steel industry, providing global leadership on all major strategic issues impacting the industry, particularly focusing on economic, environmental, and social sustainability.

Its members represent approximately 85 percent of the world's steel production, including more than 160 steel producers, national and regional steel industry associations and steel research institutes.

Established in 1967, it is one of the largest industry representations in the world and is headquartered in Brussels.

Engaged in the manufacturing of iron and steel products in India and across the globe, JSW Group's flagship JSW Steel is India's leading and one of the world's most efficient integrated steel-makers. The company is executing expansion projects to reach a steelmaking capacity of 37.5 MTPA by FY2025, including 1.5 MTPA capacity in the US and entities under joint control, from 18 MTPA as of FY2021. The company has a goal of reaching 45 MTPA steelmaking capacity by FY2030.

JSW Steel is also investing in R&D for sustainable products and controlling emissions, improving resource consumption, making processes efficient, and ensuring multi-pronged digital focus, helping improve existing practices. It has issued the global steel industry's first sustainability-Linked US dollar bond in 2021, linked to its decarbonisation target for 2030.

Established in 1982, the company primarily produces hot-rolled and cold-rolled coils. It provides colour-coated products, thermo-mechanically treated (TMT) bars, wire rods, and special alloy steel products. These products are used in automotive, general engineering, machinery, projects, and construction applications. These products serve the domestic market, and are exported to more than 100 countries.

(With inputs from agency)

(Edited by : Priyanka Deshpande)

First Published:Oct 13, 2021 7:47 PM IST