WASHINGTON: India-born steel czar Lakshmi Niwas Mittal was on Tuesday elected Chairman of the World Steel Association, representing about 180 steel producers from across the globe.
The association's board of directors met in Washington to elect new office bearers for a year till October 2009, a statement from World Steel Association (worldsteel), which announced to have changed its name from erstwhile International Iron and Steel Institute, said.
Mittal was also elected as member of the worldsteel Executive Committee, while Naveen Jindal-led Jindal Steel and Power Ltd joined the association as its Associate Members in the category of steel companies producing less than 2 MT per annum.
Among the new Vice-Chairmen elected to the worldsteel were Ku-Taek Lee, Chairman and CEO, POSCO, Paolo Rocca, Chairman and CEO, Techint Group and John Surma, Chairman and CEO, US Steel.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, Director General of the World Steel Association, Ian Christmas welcomed Mittal as the new chairman.
"The Board of Directors expressed their gratitude to Ku-Taek Lee as he completes his year as Chairman and gave a warm welcome to Lakshmi Mittal. We are delighted to welcome our new members on board," Christmas said.
"Since we were formed in 1967 the world for steel has substantially changed and so has this organisation. We are now a truly global body representing 18 of the worlds 20 largest steel companies, including six of the top 10 producers in China," he added.
