Mike Bless to retire as President and CEO of Century Aluminum; Jesse Gary being appointed as his successor

Century Aluminum announced on Monday, May 17, that Mike Bless would retire as President and Chief Executive Officer and also step down from the board on July 1, 2021. He served Century Aluminum for 15 years, including nearly 10 years as CEO.

Mr. Bless will now continue to provide his guidance and expertise to Century as a strategic advisor until his ultimate retirement from the company on March 31, 2022.

The company also announced the appointment of Jesse Gary, currently Century’s Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, as a successor of Mr. Bless, with effect from July 1. Mr. Gary will also join the Board upon assuming his new role.

“This leadership transition comes at the right time for Century, with Mike having established a strong foundation for continued growth and success of the company,” said Andrew Michelmore, Chairman of the Board.

He also said, “Over his nearly a decade as CEO, Mike has overseen the measured expansion of Century’s operations, from the successful capacity creep program at Grundartangi to the acquisitions of Century’s Sebree, Mt. Holly and Vlissingen operations. Mike’s relentless focus on safety has also set the tone for all of our employees to understand that no job is so important that it cannot be done safely. The Board is grateful to Mike for his outstanding leadership and dedication to Century over his many years of service.”

Mr. Michelmore continued, “The Board has worked with Mike to execute a thorough, multi-year process to consider and evaluate succession candidates. That process led to the selection of Jesse Gary. Mike’s close collaboration with Jesse since he assumed the Chief Operating Officer role, and continuing collaboration over the coming months, will ensure an effective leadership transition and continuity for Century’s businesses.”

Since 2010, Mr. Gary has served in a variety of leadership roles, including overseeing Century’s legal, human resources, business development, government relations, and energy functions. He also played a key role in leading the company through the recent pandemic.

On being promoted, Mr. Gary said, “I am very excited for the opportunity to lead Century into this dynamic new environment and grateful for the past 11 years that I have worked closely with Mike. Century is well positioned and has an incredible opportunity to provide the aluminum required as the world moves to recover from the pandemic, rebuild our infrastructure and transition to a low-carbon economy. I am highly confident about our company’s future and look forward to further increasing the value we bring to all of our stakeholders, while operating safely and responsibly.”