International Aluminium Institute appoints new chairman

Hilde Merete Aasheim, executive vice president of the primary metal business for Hydro, headquartered in Norway, has been appointed chairman of the London-based International Aluminium Institute (IAI) at the 89th meeting of its board of directors in Shanghai.

Aasheim takes over from Abdulla Kalban, chief executive officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, who stands down at the end of his two-year tenure.

“It is a great honour for me to have been elected by my peers to chair the institute at this time of unprecedented change in the aluminium industry,” Aasheim says. “I look forward to building on Abdulla’s achievements over the last two years to advance further the role our modern metal plays in improving people’s quality of life through its innovative applications and unique properties.”

Aasheim continues, “We see growing demand for lightweight, strong, safe and energy efficient aluminium products across all market segments and, through the IAI, we will continue to promote sustainability and resource efficiency along the metal’s value chain.”

Kalban echoes Aasheim’s comments, noting that “for most of us, 2015 has been the most challenging of years, with commodity prices depressed, stagnant growth and increasing geopolitical and economic uncertainty. Demand for aluminium products remains robust, however, with exciting times ahead as advances and innovation continue in the transportation sector in particular. But we know there remain a number of global challenges, with drivers both internal and external to our industry, and I am confident that under Hilde’s leadership the IAI will be in a strong position to respond to them.”

IAI Secretary General Ron Knapp paid tribute to the leadership of Kalban, saying, “Abdulla’s engagement during his term of office reflects his commitment to a strong industry and to a metal of the future. We are pleased that he will continue to be actively involved in the Institute’s work in the coming years as IAI vice chair and look forward to the next two years under the leadership of Hilde.

The IAI is the global forum of aluminium producers, with 26 member companies, dedicated to the development and wider use of aluminium as a competitive and uniquely valuable material.